The Arcane ScoRA and the Wand of MacArt
by OliveOilMed
Summary: When Albus, Rose, and Scorpius are put on the train to Hogwarts, their parents have simple hopes for them: the normal, boring school years they never got to experience themselves. But sometimes, we ask too much of our children.
1. Chapter 1 A Quiet Compartment Ride

I do not own any of the characters or the places from Harry Potter. It is strictly J.K.'s playground, she is lust letting me play on the monkey bars. Please review for me, for I am an attention-starved artist who needs validation!

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Chapter 1  
A Quiet Compartment Ride

Albus watched as the familiar faces of his family became more and more blurred in the distance. His mother and his sister, both beginning to cry, his aunt and uncle distracted at the moment by their younger son running in circles, and his father never breaking eye contact until his form faded out of sight. Gradually, as Kings Cross itself vanished, the students that had been fighting for one last glimpse of their families began to disappear. But, even after all the other students had left the windows in search of their compartments, Albus still lingered.

"Alright, Albus, enough with the window," exclaimed Rose, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "We have to find a seat. I wouldn't be surprised if all the compartments are already full by now!"

As Rose dragged him down the corridor, Albus was able to maintain an awkward sideways shuffle as he followed behind. Of course Rose wasn't afraid to start her year at Hogwarts. Rose was reading her textbooks before they had even left Flourish and Blotts. She could recognize all her basic potions ingredients by sight, smell, and texture, and was already fully dressed in her robes. Yes, Rose wasn't afraid of anything. She was a true Gryffindor if ever there was one.

"Ugh," groaned Rose as she slammed yet another door shut, "all these compartments are filled to the brim!"

Albus hadn't actually been worried about what house he would get into. His parents were Gryffindors, his grandparents were Gryffindors, his cousins were all Gryffindors, and even his older brother was a Gryffindor. So it would stand to reason that he would be one too. At least it did until that summer day, when James had planted that horrible notion in his head.

"When you get sorted into Slytherin, you better sleep with one eye open," he had told Albus. "The slime from that house are just as likely to turn on their own as they would anyone else."

The statement had caught Albus so off guard, he nearly fell off the swing.

"Why would you say something like that?" he asked his brother, anxious to know why he would even consider that possibility.

"Well, Albus," James began to explain as if the subject matter were much more casual, "I'm just saying nobody knows what house they're going to be sorted into. You could be in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, _Slytherin_…"

James put a special emphasis on that last word.

"I'm going to be in _Gryffindor_!" Albus insisted.

"Alright," James shrugged his shoulders. "But just remember, Albus, Gryffindor is '_where dwell the brave of heart'_. How many things have you done that could be considered brave?"

But before Albus could think of a good comeback, their mother called them for lunch, leaving the subject open. Allowing it to be a thought that could haunt Albus for the rest of the summer.

"C'mon, Victoire," Rose complained through the locked door, "we can't find anywhere to sit!"

"Sorry," she shouted, unlocking the door for only an instant as she and her sister shoved a semi-drooling sixth-year out of her compartment, "busy."

""Oh, c'mon veela girls," he whined, banging on the door, "show me some love!"

"Boys," Rose grumbled under her breath as she continued to drag Albus along the corridor. Situations like that were not uncommon in Albus and Rose's family. It was just one of those things that went along with having veelas for cousins.

"Well, I flat out REFUSE to sit with James and Fred," Rose declared loudly, beginning to stop her feet. "The second we let our guard down they'll do something horrible like…like-"

"Hex our foreheads together?" suggested Albus.

"Not so loud!" Rose scolded in a hushed tone. "They might hear you!"

But ever since his brother had mentioned it, Albus had begun to wonder when he had ever been brave. James was brave; he had known that for years. James would climb out on the roof just to see the view, he would stand up to the bullies who would go after Albus for being a wimp or Lily for being a baby, and he had once thrown a rock at the neighbor's dog just to prove he could outrun it. Their parents called all those things stupid and pigheaded, but Albus knew that his brother was brave.

And of course, his mother and father were brave; they had fought in a war against one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time. His father had faced that same dark Lord on eight different occasions and never ran away. If that was the kind of bravery it took to be a Gryffindor, Albus wasn't sure he would make it.

"Look," she pointed toward an older boy with a black and yellow badge on his chest, "that Hufflepuff boy's a prefect; I bet he'll help us find somewhere to sit!"

Rose was brave for sure. She was able to walk up to a complete stranger and demand what she wanted, not the least bit bothered by the consequences.

"Excuse me," Rose asked, tugging on the prefect's robes, pulling him away from a conversation he was having with a very pretty girl who was also a Hufflepuff, "Can you help us? My cousin and I can't find a compartment."

It was obvious that the prefect would have much rather kept on with his conversation and not even acknowledge that fact that Albus and Rose were there. But first year students were the collective responsibility of all the prefects. So until Albus and Rose were sorted, there was very little he could do about it.

"Alright," he said, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "follow me, please."

Rose followed so close behind the prefect she was almost stepping into his shoes. Having finally let go of Albus, he himself was walking a few steps further behind.

"Oh, look," the prefect said, opening a nearby compartment door after peering in. "This compartment has room. There's only one kid in here."

When Rose peeked from behind the prefect to look inside, Albus was convinced that he saw the color of her face change by at least three shades. When he finally caught up, he could see why. In the compartment, sitting all by himself, was a pale blond boy wearing very fine clothes and a look of someone who had just smelled something disgusting. No one needed to tell Albus who this was, even though neither he, nor his cousin had ever seen this boy before. This was clearly a member of the Malfoy family, a family name that could make his uncle Ron turn bright red and scream at the top of his lungs in a matter of seconds.

"Did you hear me, kid?" the prefect repeated in an annoyed tone, although Albus hadn't heard him ask the first time. "Is it okay if these two sit with you?"

The Malfoy boy looked at the prefect as though he had lost his mind, but didn't say a word. On the one hand, he didn't want to get in trouble with a prefect before the train even arrived at Hogwarts. But then again, he seemed to know exactly who their families were too.

"But…" he tried to counter. "him…and that girl..."

"She's not going to kiss you; she just wants a place to sit."

"I…," he tried, his words weaker and more unsure than his previous attitude would have implied, "don't know."

"Too bad," the prefect answered, practically shoving Albus and Rose into the compartment. "Have fun, I'll see you all at Christmas."

With that, the door was slid shut, leaving the three first years in a very awkward silence; Albus twittleing his fingers and trying is best to keep from making eye contact, Rose becoming impatient and tapping her foot in rapid rhythm, and Scorpius slouched against his seat with his arms crossed and an annoyed glare that he directed right at Albus and Rose. It was a scene that was in its own way disturbing. Albus wasn't sure how long he and Rose just stood there. It might have been easier to move to their seat if that Malfoy boy would just stop staring at them!

"So," Albus finally asked, "we can sit?"

"Sure," the boy answered a little too quickly, as though he might rethink his answer. "I mean, I guess."

Albus and Rose slid down next to each other on the opposite seat, but held themselves stiffly in a way that seemed unnatural. For a long time, no one made a sound or even dared to move. Albus counted the cracks on the ceiling, Rose kicked her shoes against the carpeted floor, and the Malfoy boy just sat with his head rested against the window, the glare that had once been directed at Albus and Rose now focused on the passing country side.

Eventually, Rose pulled out one of what had to be a dozen books packed in her bulky carryon

"What are you reading?" asked the Malfoy boy with a type of superior sneer on his in an attempt to mask his genuine curiosity.

Albus stopped counting at one hundred seventeen and looked down to realize the boy across from them was finally making genuine eye contact.

"_Unfogging the Future_," she told him, glancing up. "We won't actually be studying Divination until our third year, but it's the only one of my mother's old school books she'd let me have."

"That's because Divination was the only class Aunt Hermione never got perfect scores in," Albus tried to joke, a habit he had whenever he was nervous. "I swear, Rosie reads that book just to annoy her!"

To his surprise, the Malfoy boy uttered a small chuckle. It too was a nervous, edgy sounding laugh, but at least it help to ease the mood. Afterwards, the Malfoy boy finally sat up into a more comfortable, relaxed position. Albus, too, felt his own back unclench and the compartment itself become less tense. Rose, however, had become completely immersed in her book, but there was a faint almost-smile on her face. As next moments passed in silence, even the very air seemed to get lighter.

Despite this new level of ease, Albus still wasn't quite sure to think of the boy who was sitting across from him. He had grown up hearing all of his parents' old war stories, and his Uncle Ron's comical rants. And in every single one of them, it somehow told of how the Malfoys were traitors, how the Malfoys were pure blood fanatics who wouldn't consider his Aunt Hermione a level above the dirt under their shoes, and how the Malfoys were just awful people in general. But this boy, even though Albus wasn't sure he was exactly friendly, certainly was not living up to the horror stories he had heard all his life. Unfortunately, the next person who did come into the compartment, was the last one on earth who would think that.

"ALBUS," called a loud, but oh so familiar voice accompanied by a loud slamming noise as the door was pushed open. "Hey, I've been looking all over for you. I-"

His brother, James, was soon stopped dead in his words, something Albus himself had only seen twice in his life. Raising a shaky hand, he pointed towards the Malfoy boy, who, in turn, returned a very hard glare.

"Hi, James." Albus shifted in his seat, worried he had done something to anger his older brother.

But if James was angry, he certainly wasn't sharing it with anyone. He stood silent and nearly shaking, looking as though he may explode. Eventually, Rose noticed her older cousin's display, which was enough of a distraction to make her stop reading.

"Is something wrong?" asked Rose, eyes peering over the top of her book cover.

Finally, James seemed to shake himself out of his self-induced trance, but the anger was still displayed plainly on his face. He was, however, able to hold in his rage long enough to step in front Albus and Rose and grab them each by their sleeves.

"Can I speak to you two in private?" James asked, pulling the younger children up off their seats, so it wasn't really a request.

Dragging each of the younger children by their elbows, he led them out into the corridor and turned to slam the door shut. It was such a loud, deafening sound, Albus was sure he heard a girl scream in the compartment to the left.

"Have you two lost your minds?" his brother scolded in a half hushed shout. "What are you thinking, sitting with a Malfoy?"

"Excuse me" the Malfoy boy spoke up, peering through the slight opening left by the door.

"There weren't any other opened seats!" Rose explained, stomping her foot against the floor.

"Did you just defend me _and_ insult me at the same time?"

"WAS I TALKING TO YOU, DEATH EATER SPAWN?" James yelled back through the cracked opening.

This was a new side to his brother that Albus had never seen before. Of course, he had always known his brother was a bit of a hothead and would not censer his feelings for anyone. What it was that shocked Albus was that his brother was getting into what had to be an argument for the record books about someone he didn't even know. Albus knew that James took after their Uncle Ron in many ways, the blind hate for the Malfoy family being only one of them. Although, he had a lot of trouble taking his older brother's rantings to heart. It was true that this Malfoy boy had certainly been less than hospitable, but still, the demonized, boogieman version of a member of the Malfoy family didn't seem to resonate with the boy Albus had been sharing his compartment with.

"You both know I would have gladly made room for you, if I had known THIS is what you had been reduced to!" James offered, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"Yeah, right," retorted Rose, not losing an ounce of her previous volume, "and spend the entire train ride looking over our shoulders while you and Fred plot our doom!"

James didn't have a reply to that. He knew well enough that Rose didn't trust him as far as she could throw a Quaffle. But between the fire cracker shampoo, the dung bomb gumballs, backyard duel club, and the famed hippogryff talon dare that resulted in Rose's permanent inability to whistle, this was probably very wise reasoning. And James himself had never actually met a member of the Malfoy family, so he didn't have any evidence to offer Rose that she would be safer with him and Fred. If there was one thing James knew, there was no use in trying to out argue Rose Athena Weasley.

"But anyway, Al," James said, shaking his head as he tried to calm down. "I came to find you so I could give you this."

"Thanks," Albus answered unsurely as his brother dropped some pocket money into his waiting palm.

"Mum says to share with Rose," he added as he adjusted his glasses.

"I have my _own_ money, thank you," Rose snapped, throwing the compartment door open and making the Malfoy boy jump.

Once again grabbing his collar, Rose dragged Albus back to their seats and sat down in a huff. She snapped her book back open and didn't give James as much as a parting glance.

"Don't get too friendly!" he warned, mostly to the Malfoy boy, before he slid the door shut.

As soon as James left, the compartment reverted back to the uncomfortable silence it had held before. The Malfoy boy glared out the window, clearly angry, Rose holding her book three inches from her nose, also angry, and Albus shifting uncomfortably in his seat, wishing he could have a different compartment. No one talking, no one moving, not even when the trolley lady came by with sweets. A person could always tell things were bad when Rose wasn't even interested in adding to her Chocolate Frog card collection.

The Malfoy boy kicked at the floor with his bottom lip out, seeming to sulk at the silence as well. He had a very distinct glare directed at the door that James had recently exited from. It was all to clear that he didn't think too much of James either. But then, neither did a lot of people, potential Slytherin or not. But as the time and the scenery passed, Albus watched the rage slowly disappear from his face and gradually return to its previous look of boredom.

"Soooo…" the Malfoy boy began in that same bored tone, being the one to break the silence once again, "your name is Albus?"

Albus nodded, still feeling a little bit too shaken to speak.

"And you are…Rose?" he asked again, although he still hadn't turned his attention away from the window.

"Yes, Rose Weasley," she answered proudly, finally setting the book down for good.

"Which one?" Scorpius asked, turning his gaze to Rose when he did not get an instant answer. "I mean, which one is your father?"

"Ronald Weasley," Rose told him, wrinkling her forehead and raising one eyebrow in suspicion, "Why?"

"Oh, just curious," Scorpius explained with a slight sneer in his expression. "My father told me there are more Weasleys than you can count, so I just wanted to be sure."

"You really have no manners, do you?" Rose snapped, a small flare of her temper beginning to grow.

"And you have no tact," he responded, remaining as cool as ever. "And your father is the famous Saint Harry Potter?"

"Yeah," Albus replied, not quite sure how to react to this nickname. "People don't stop reminding me."

"And your father's name is Draco Malfoy, and your name is Scorpius," Rose spoke up in a haughty sounding tone that easily matched Scorpius'. "My dad pointed you out to me on the platform. I'm also supposed to beat you on every examination."

"Hmph," Scorpius snorted under his breath with a smirk on his face. "Good luck!"

"Rose, Albus," came a softer sounding, but also familiar voice on the other side of the door.

As Victoire gently slid the compartment door open, Albus watched the expression on Scorpius' face become a mixture of shock, awe, and shyness. In short, the normal response of any male under the age of thirty when he laid eyes on Victoire Weasely, Gryffindor house's both pride and prime cause of foolishness among the male student population.

But Albus and Rose were both used to this as well. Of all the members of her family, Victoire was the one who best retained their veela roots. Her long, reddish blond hair cascaded down her back, a few stray strands sweeping over her bright blue eyes. Her quiet smile flashed a few of her perfect teeth, but Albus and Rose were some of the few who were no longer affected by their cousin's mere appearance.

Albus was simply happy to see his older, more compassionate cousin, and Rose's eyes rested on the Head Girl badge pinned to Victoire's robes. Outside the compartment, however, Albus could hear Victoire's two younger siblings, Dominique and Louis, pacing anxiously as she spoke. Unlike their older sister, even though Dominique too held some degree of awe striking beauty, those two were as much Weasleys as their father was.

"Sorry about before," Victoire apologized, "but James told me who you were sitting with and I figured you could use some rescuing."

"It's alright," Albus assured her. "We sort of had a good time."

"Of course you did," she smiled sympathetically. "Anyway, we'll be arriving in ten minutes, so Albus, you change into your robes, and the both of you get all your things together. I'll wait outside for you.

In the same fashion Rose had shown since she got her Hogwarts letter; she didn't wait one more second to get ready than she needed to. She was the first one of the three to push herself off the seat and, being already dressed in her robes, started towards the door to join her cousins.

"Another relative of yours?" Scorpius asked with that same sneer in his voice.

"Yeah," Rose answered, shoving her book back into her bag, "we have too many to count, remember?"

Albus laughed a little at his cousin's response. Sure, this Malfoy boy may have been a little bit of a snob, but he seemed nice enough to Albus. And Rose had made it very clear during the train ride that she could take care of herself.

"That's Victoire Weasley," Albus explained after Rose had left, pointing to his older cousin's silhouette. "She's Head Girl, so she could help you out with anything you need too."

"I'll keep that in mind." Scorpius answered sarcastically, showing exactly how much he took that advice to heart.

"Albus," Victoire called again, her voice sounding further away this time. "We're leaving without you!"

"Well, I guess I'll see you at the castle," Albus said as he shuffled towards the door.

"Yeah," Scorpius answered. "I'll see you."

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Everyone has an opinion of where the next generation kids will end up. Where I will place them, only chapter 2 will tell!


	2. Chapter 2 An Unexpected Sorting Ceremony

Well, here is Chapter 2. Everyone has their own opinion on where Albus, Scorpius, and Rose will end up. Let's see where they will go in this story.

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Chapter 2  
An Unexpected Sorting Ceremony

"OW! Stop pushing!"

"Well, move faster!"

One by one, sometime by twos, three, or fours, the students pushed their way off the train. The first year students seemed especially eager to get out onto the platform. In the rush of it all, Albus had lost Rose. He tried to pick out her face in the dim, bobbing light, or the face of anyone else he might recognize among the many dozens. Slowly, he began to feel the butterflies creeping into his stomach, and with that feeling, the fear of the idea of not being brave also began to resurface.

"All firs' years over here!" Albus heard a loud voice sound above all others, "Firs' years over here!"

Even in the dim light, Albus could easily recognize large form towering over the heads of the other students. Pushing his way through the crowd, getting shove back a few times himself, Albus emerged at the front of the first year group and was rewarded with a wave and a hearty "'ello".

"Hagrid!" exclaimed Albus, happy to see a familiar face, "Oh, sorry; _Professor_ Hagrid."

"S'alright, young Albus," Hagrid assured him with a bushy smile, "but don't think that _Professor_ stuff 'ill get ye out of coming to tea like you promised."

"Don't worry," Albus assured him, "I'm looking forward to it."

"Al'ight, all the firs' years here?" Hagrid repeated once again as the last of the student crowded around him. "Okay, follow me. Watch yer step!"

Hagrid led Albus and the others along a well-worn, but completely dark path. The hushed whispers mixed with the sound of stumbling steps as the blind students felt their way through the dark.

"We're almost at the lake," Hagrid announced. "Yeh'll get yer first looks at Hogwarts very soon."

Directly in front of them, perched along the ledge of the mountains, stood Hogwarts Castle, more miraculous looking than Albus had ever heard it described in words. Apparently, Albus was not alone in his opinions. All around him, the quiet chatter had ceased completely as his future classmates joined him in craning their heads up towards the view.

"No more'n four to a boat," Hagrid told everyone as he pointed to a small fleet of rowboats at the edge of the lake.

Feeling a push from behind him, Albus reluctantly made his way towards the boats. He still had not found Rose and didn't see her in any of the boats off to his sides. The other three students that he shared the boat with included a small blonde girl with freckles who could only be described as adorable, a dark haired, dark eyed boy who kept his gaze on the castle, and a jittery little girl with pale brown hair whose head turned in every direction.

"Everybody set?" Hagrid shouted. "Alright-FORWARD!"

With a sudden lurch, all the boat move simultaneously forward onto the dark lake. A cool wind blew against the students, who clutched at their robes, and the waves gently rocked them from side to side.

In the glinting lantern light ahead of him, he was able to make out the shape of Rose. He tried to get her attention by shouting and waving, but Rose kept her head down, clutching her book bag tightly. Could people get seasick if they weren't technically at sea? Even with the poor lantern light, he could tell that Rose did look a little green.

Suddenly, everyone in the boat fell forward as the boats hit land, not so gently. The underground cavern they now journeyed through was dripping wet and gave a sharp echoing sound as four dozen pairs of shoes scampered across the pebbles and loose earth.

When the stony path gave way to grass, there was finally enough light to see a large door in front of them. Hagrid gave three loud banging knocks before the doors opened to reveal yet another face familiar to Albus.

Less dirt-clad than usual and trying to maintain a dignified expression, was Neville Longbottom: Herbology professor, head of Gryffindor house, and a long time friend of their families, as well as Albus' godfather. The difference in demeanor and stance came as a little bit of a shock to Albus, who was used to the Neville who would visit out of the blue, and sneak treats to the Potter children when no one was looking. When in the comfortable setting of home, Neville had always been a kind and understanding person. Would all that change now that his role had changed to Professor Longbottom?

"Welcome to Hogwarts," he smiled at the new students. "The start-of-the-term banquet will start very soon, but before that, you will be seated in the Great Hall, and before that, you will be sorted into your houses."

Albus heard a few very distinct sound gulps from the students behind him. At least he knew he wasn't the only one that was nervous.

"While you are here, your house will become somewhat of a family to you. You will go to classes together, you will sleep in the dormitories with them, eat in the Great Hall with them, and spend your free time in your common rooms with them."

Speaking of families, when Albus looked to his side, he saw that Rose had finally found him. He was immensely relieved to see a familiar face, but he noticed his cousin still looked a bit green and shaky. He wondered if she would even eat anything during the feast.

"They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," Professor Longbottom listed, though it was clear from the tone of his voice, which houses one did not want to get sorted into. "Throughout the year, house points will be granted or taken away based on merit. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup."

"I won't keep you waiting any longer. If you'll follow me, we are ready to begin the Sorting Ceremony."

Before leading them into the Great Hall, Professor Longbottom looked Albus straight in the eyes and gave him a smile and a wink. At that moment, Albus gave a sigh of relief, knowing that the proper Neville was mostly a show.

When the giant doors of the Great Hall opened, there was yet another collective awe among the first year students. Between the floating candles, the ceiling bewitched to look like the night sky, the high table of their future teachers, and Headmaster Flitwick, who barely sat with his chin above the surface; it was almost too much to take in at once. As they walked down through the row between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, Albus watched as he and Rose were greeted by James, eight of their cousins from the Weasley family, and several people who simply knew the name Potter.

At the very front of the hall, at the top of a small staircase, stood a stool with a very old, very worn hat slumped on top of it. That hat became the focus of attention for most of the students in the hall, except for a few naïve first year who did not know the hats significance. But when Professor Longbottom climbed to the top of the stairs, and stood next to the hat, something happened that gained the rest of the hall's occupant's attention. A rip in the hat opened like a mouth, and the hat burst into song.

_"Here we are yet again,  
Like all the years before,  
Students, they have come and gone,  
But always, we find more.  
And it's my job to sort them  
All into their respected houses,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,  
Yes, you can bet your blouses  
You may not understand my decisions now,  
You make think me a fool,  
But I will do what's best for you,  
That is my only rule.  
Now that may be in Gryffindor,  
Should I find you have the nerve,  
For you may well be call upon,  
To fight, defend, and serve.  
Or maybe perhaps in Hufflepuff,  
If you desire to prove yourself,  
Fair play and hard work shall be your path,  
If that's the hand you're dealt.  
But still, then, there is Ravenclaw,  
Where if you can make the grade,  
The world will be your oyster,  
If you can use your brain.  
Despite your thoughts on Slytherin,  
And its checkered past,  
With cunning friends and street smarts,  
They'll never finish last.  
So step on up now, don't be shy,  
There's nothing here to fear,  
For if you weren't worthy of this school,  
You wouldn't even be here!_

There was a loud roar of applause, the loudest coming from the new first years, as soon as the song was finished. When it died down, Professor Longbottom picked up the hat with one hand, and in the other, he let a long roll of parchment unroll towards the floor.

"Now, I'm going to read your names off in alphabetical order. When you hear your name called, come and take a seat upon the stool, and you will be sorted into your houses," Professor Longbottom explained, turning his eyes towards the parchment. "Ackerbare, Helen."

Albus felt a gentle push at his back, as he watched the first student make her way through the crowd, up the steps, and onto the stool. Professor Longbottom placed the hat over her head, which was so big on her, it nearly came down to her nose.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Ackhart, Georgia."

A curly haired girl walked up to the platform with an air of false confidence. When the sorting hat was place on her head and over her eyes, she took a sharp intake of breath.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

When the hat was lifted off her head, the girl smiled a winning smile as though she knew she had just gotten into the best house in Hogwarts.

"Lucky!" Albus muttered under his breath as Georgia took her seat among the Gryffindors.

This was going to take a very long time. A boy behind Albus yawned loudly as Baker, Nicole was the first to be sorted into Hufflepuff. Albus shifted from his left foot to his right, and then back again. Yes, a very, very long time.

"Bletchley, Maris."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Albus looked out onto those seated at the Gryffindor table. When he did, nearly half the table waved at him, prompting him to wave back weakly. Most of the faces see saw, he didn't recognize. But as he scanned the smiling crowd, he was finally able to find a few people his seen at least twice in his life.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's children, Victoire, Dominique, and Louis were sitting at the front, closest to the first years. Unlike their older sister, Dominique and Louis were just as much Weasleys as the rest of the family was. Louis had the famous Weasley red hair and freckle, with gigantic hands, ears, and an even larger heart. But Dominique, on the other hand, looked more like a smaller version of Victoire, with strawberry blond hair and breathtaking eyes, and all the graces of a veela that she refused to grace the Gryffindor boys with. According to his uncles and grandparents, she took after their Uncle Percy. Albus guessed that meant that Dominique was a tattletaling busybody. His parents got more letters from Dominique about things James had done than they had gotten from James himself.

"Canning, Jodie."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Carmichael, Kian."

"RAVENCLAW!"

But as much as Dominique seemed to take after Uncle Percy, his own daughters, Molly and Lucy, seemed as different from their father as they could be. Their lives completely revolved around having fun, lives that didn't seem to include homework, acknowledging their curfews at school or at home, and especially did not include Dominique Weasley. And with their father spending most of his day at the Ministry and their mother, Audrey, who wasn't home much more than her husband, that made it pretty easy to do.

Davies, Freya."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Edwin, Leo."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Fawcett, Jay."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Finch-Flechley, Grace."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Uncle George's children, Fred and Roxanne, were harder to see, as they were back next to James. Albus knew from his brother's school stories and the numerous owls that came from Hogwarts at least once a week, that James and Fred were the Weasley twins reincarnated. If it wasn't illegally smuggling Weasley's Wizard Wheezes into school, it was changing the entry passwords to words that made students red in the face, or the famed attempt to shave Mrs. Norris. But if an exciting seven years at Hogwarts was what you were looking for, those two were defiantly the go-to guys. Or if you lived in the girls' dormitories, Roxanne was your go-to girl. She seemed much better at getting away with everything than James and Fred did, with her innate ability to cry her way out of any detention or punishment.

"Foss, Gavin."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Goldstein, Noah."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Goodrich, Violet."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Albus watched the group of people get smaller and smaller and the four house tables gradually fill up with first year students. There was a noticed difference in the level of ease between the children who sat at the tables and the students, who stood before the platform with no house to their name.

"Hurst, Lauren."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Inglebee, Jude."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Leach, Gina."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Karamanlis, Thalia."

"SLYTHERIN!"

A blonde girl named Macmillan, Fairfax was sorted into Hufflepuff, and as soon as she took her seat at the yellow and black decorated table, one of the names of someone that Albus had been looked forward to seeing sorted was called.

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

If Scorpius was nervous, he certainly didn't show it. He remained as cool as he was on the train as he took a seat on the stool and allowed the hat to be placed on his head. It took longer to sort Scorpius than it did to sort most of the other students. In fact, if Albus could have gotten a closer look, he could almost swear that Scorpius was fighting with the hat. But when the answer finally came, it was the one that most people had expected.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Scorpius gave an indifferent shrug, as though he had never really cared to begin with, and sauntered off the Slytherin table. From the Gryffindor table, Albus saw James gave him one of his I-told-you-so smirks. No Malfoy had been sorted into a house other than Slytherin since the middle ages, and apparently this generation would be no different.

"Oswald, Micah."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Paddock, Ruby."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus was trying to keep track of how many students had been sorted into Gryffindor. Let's see, there was that first girl, Georgia. Then there was another girl named Joanne Canning, then Leo somebody. And then there was another girl named Maeve…or was it Mitzi? Wait, wasn't there a Mitzi sorted into Hufflepuff? Did the Sorting hat just put this last girl in Gryffindor too? This was really the type of thing he should have been asking Rose for help wi-

"Potter, Albus."

There was a murmured hush as soon as Albus' name was called. Slowly, like so many others before him, Albus walked up the steps and took his seat on the stool. Before he could say different, the hat was placed onto his head and over his eyes. It felt a lot heavier than he thought it would.

"Hmmmm…," the hat hummed, its voice seeming to speak right into his head. "Another difficult member of the Potter clan. You are intelligent, no doubt. Talented, some ways more than others. And a family legacy you feel you need to live up to. Soooooo…where, oh where, oh where, oh where shall I place you…"

"…_not Slytherin_…" Albus was able to mutter weakly, hardly the strength necessary when one is arguing for one's future.

"Well, your father may have done well in Slytherin, but I'm not a hundred percent sure that it's the place for you," the hat explained. "For a Slytherin, ambition will lead them to do whatever it takes to get what they want, but you have limits. You have goals and dreams, but you would never betray a friend or a family member to achieve them. In fact, I think it's accurate to say you would die before you would do anything to harm someone you love."

"_Why's the hat telling me what I would and wouldn't die for?_" Albus thought to himself. "_I'm eleven; I don't even know these things!_"

"There is a noble boldness in that trait. A trait that would best suit your for…GRYFFINDOR!"

Silence gave way to roaring applause as nearly everyone stood at the Gryffindor table. Surprisingly, the loudest cheers came from his own brother, James. Albus barely waited till the hat was off his head to go join the other Gryffindor first years. But first, he had something he needed to do.

"Way to go, Albus!" James congratulated him as Albus approached him. "I guess you did have to guts to be a Gryffindor."

Albus gave his brother a toothy smile, and then completed his first act as a "gutsy" Gryffindor.

"OW!" James shouted as both his hands covered the back of his head, "ALBUS! Why'd you hit me?"

"YOU DROVE ME MAD FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS THINKING I WOULD GET SORTED INTO SLYTHERIN!"

"Take it easy, Albus! It was a joke!" James tried to defend both himself and his newly aching head. "I never _really_ thought you'd be in Slytherin! Hufflepuff, at worst, but not Slytherin!"

But it hardly mattered to Albus what James said now. He was in Gryffindor, and nothing anyone did could change that. Satisfied, his took his seat among the vastly impressed first years.

"Wow!" breathed Elle Peakes, the blonde girl who had been in the boat with him.

Albus sighed and took a deep breath as he watched a pair of identical twins named Pucey, Cecilia and Pucey, Claudia each get sorted into Slytherin, a fate he was happy to avoid.

Feeling as though a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Albus was finally able to relax and enjoy the ceremony. The only names he found himself paying attention to were the ones who were sorted into Gryffindor: girl named Bailey Reynolds with dark hair and a cute smile, a boy named Riley St. John who seemed to strut over to the Gryffindor table, and the dark haired boy from the boat, who he learned was named Damien Towler.

In fact, it didn't even seem that long before the most important name of all was called.

"Weasley, Rose."

Rose practically skipped up to the stool and spun in a circle as she sat down. The hat completely covered the top half of her face, but her confidant smile was still clearly visible.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The second that fateful word was spoken, Rose's face went instantly white. Albus' eyes bulged and an audible gasp was heard from every Weasley at the Gryffindor table. There were even a few surprised looks on a few of the teachers, including Professor Longbottom. Here, the first born child of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Gryffindor leaders in the second war against the Dark Lord, had just been sorted into Ravenclaw. There was a loud eruption of applause from the Ravenclaw table, but once the clapping died down, the Great Hall was silent and Rose still hadn't moved.

"Um, Miss Weasley," said Professor Longbottom, gently lifting the hat off her head, "you can go sit with your house now."

"B-but-"

"Other students still need to be sorted."

Rose nodded weakly as she slid off the stool and made her way to the Ravenclaw table with her head down.

There hardly seemed to be a point in watching the ceremony now. Albus didn't know any of the kids that were left to be sorted, but he most certainly didn't want to think about Rose right now. So, he watched quietly as Whitby, Ben became a Hufflepuff; and a small girl named Xiao, Luli go into Ravenclaw. Finally, Zabini, Juliet was sorted into Slytherin, and the ceremony was over. Professor Longbottom snapped the scroll, which rolled up like a window shade and took the sorting hat away.

"And now," Professor Flitwick announced, having to stand on the actual table as he did so, "the feast may begin."

Albus had been looking forward to the feast for hours, but now it seemed so frightening. Talking to all these new kids who would supposedly become his closest friends now seemed like a horribly daunting task to take on by himself. He was tempted to pick up his plate and move next to James.

"-swore my dad would have a heart attack right there," a boy named Leo Edmin was telling everyone, "My mum's a squib and she never even told him there was a chance I could be born with magic."

"Same here," replied a Muggle-born named Gavin, "No one in my family has ever shown a shred of magic before me. They all sell insurance."

"Don't worry," an older boy told them, "Nobody comes here an expert in magic. You'll all do fine. Maddox Dugan, nice to meet all of you new Gryffindors."

"Say, a Professor Dugan came to my house to deliver my letter," said Gavin, "Are you related to him?"

"Yes, he's my father."

"The teachers have kids?" exclaimed the pale brown haired girl, whom Albus learned was named Maeve Finnigan.

But to be honest, the idea of the teachers having families shocked Albus too. Until then, he thought of the Hogwarts teachers as teaching in their classrooms during the day, and falling asleep under their desks at night.

"Yeah," laughed Maddox, ruffling Maeve's hair, much to her apparent annoyance. "Contrary to popular belief, the teachers are allowed to have lives outside these walls."

"But wait," the girl named Ruby Paddock interrupted, confused. "Isn't your dad the head of Ravenclaw House?"

"Yeah, he practically fell off his chair three years ago when I was sorted into Gryffindor. But it's the best house in the school, am I right?"

Ravenclaw. Albus was suddenly reminded of Rose's situation all over again. Across the Great Hall, he saw Rose hadn't touched any of the food the Ravenclaw prefects had piled onto her plate. While the other new Ravenclaw students gossiped and laughed like old friends, Rose kept her head cast down, kicking her feet against the stone floor. Albus felt so bad for her. He knew that getting sorted into Ravenclaw meant you were smart, so it was hardly an insult. It just didn't seem fair for Albus to be in Gryffindor when he was sure he just barely made the cut, and for Rose to be have not when her family line was Gryffindor all the way back to the school's founding.

Albus had barely eaten a thing, but all the food disappeared before his eyes. It didn't matter anyway. What he did eat sat like a heavy stone in his stomach. Once the food was gone, Professor Flitwick stood on the table once again, a few new students snickering as he did so.

"Before we all go off to bed," he announced in a voice that squeaked occasionally, "I would like to make some start-of-term announcements."

The older students fell quiet and began to listen intently. It wasn't long before the first years, even the ones who were laughing followed suit.

"All first years should know that the forest off the school grounds is not to be entered for any reason. We did not name it the Forbidden Forest because we thought the name was 'cool'."

A few older students did laugh at that remark. Apparently at Hogwarts, you had to pay very close attention not to just what the teachers were saying, but how they said it too.

"Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has also asked me to remind you there will be no using magic in the corridors between classes, and any objects purchased from Weasley Wizard Wheezes are strictly forbidden."

James, Fred, and Roxanne all laughed at that remark. They were Weasley's number one sales distributors outside Diagon Alley, and they weren't going to let something as minor as Mr. Filch stand in the way of their ten percent cut.

"Quidditch trials will be held next week. Anyone who is interested, please contact Madame Wood."

"That being said," he finished, "let us all head off to bed, and be ready for a full day of learning tomorrow!"

None of the students seemed to need anymore convincing than that. Victoire stood up and instructed all the Gryffindor first years to follow her. Albus watched as one of the older Ravenclaw prefects did the saw with the student to their right. The two houses walked side by side for a while; the entire time, Albus tried to wave at Rose and get her attention, but Rose kept her head down and shuffled her feet, just like she had been doing ever since she'd been sorted. At the staircase, the Gryffindors went up and the Ravenclaws went down, parting ways for the rest of the night.

The stairs went up and up and up again, as though they would never end. The students began to pant and yawn, their exhaustion growing greater with every step. The figures in the painting waves and greeted them, but the new Gryffindors were all much too tired to even notice. In an instant, Victoire stopped very suddenly, causing about four students to run into her back. Albus peered out from his spot in the middle of the line to see the famed painting of the Fat Lady, waiting for them.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked Victoire.

"_Novus militia,_" Victoire stated clearly.

The painting moved to reveal an opening in the wall. Many of the smaller students needed help getting in.

Victoire led the first year students into the common room, draped in red velvet with squashy red furniture scattered across the floor. She pointed up on corridor telling the boys to go to their left and the girls to go to their right. Albus walked backwards on his way up the stairs, watching his cousin pull a letter out of her robes and take a seat in one of the armchair as a faint blush crept over her cheeks.

Waiting for them at the top of the stairs, were the four-post beds with their thick velvet curtains, just as Albus had heard them described so many times. The two Muggle-bred boys, Leo Edwin and Gavin Foss were fascinated by the smallest details of the dormitory, from the fireplace in the center of the room, to the floor level windows with their fantastic view of the lake.

While the other exhausted boys got ready for bed, Albus took a seat at one of the windows. He could see the lake, the mountains, the forests, and every part of the castle except for the one part he really cared about tonight.

"Do any of you know if you can see Ravenclaw tower from here?" he asked suddenly

"I don't know," answered a boy named Simon Henry. "Why do you care anyway?"

"My cousin's a Ravenclaw. If I can see her tower and she can see mine, then we'd be able to wave to each other."

"Your cousin," Simon said. "She isn't that Weasley girl who burst into tears because she wasn't good enough for Gryffindor, is she?"

"Shut up, Henry!" shouted Damien, glaring at him straight in the eyes.

"Make me, Towler!"

"Quiet up there," an older student shouted from the bottom of the stairs, "And lights out!"

Simon and Damien cast one final glare at each other before they made their way to their four post beds. Albus didn't move from the window, even after the lights and the fire had gone out. In fact, he stayed up later than he ever had before in his life. The sky was especially clear tonight, and there was a full moon, casting a vast amount of light on the school grounds.

"Good-night, Rose," he whispered out into the vast night air.

* * *

I'm still attention starved and craving validation. Please!


	3. Chapter 3 Insults, Infestation, and Infl

I know that I got a lot of 'Oh, no's during the Sorting chapter. It was always my plan to put the three in three different houses. I actually did consider putting Albus in Hufflepuff during the story's planning phases, but I soon realizedit would be essential to the storiy's later plot for Albus to be in Gryffindor. Besides, if there's anything more cliche than Scorpius in Slytherin, it's Scorpius in Ravenclaw with Rose in Gryffindor.

So, I stick with my Sorting. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 3  
Insults, Infestation, and Influence

"Are you going to finish that?"

"Huh?"

"Your sausages," Maeve repeated, pointing to Albus' plate. "Are you going to finish them?"

Albus shook his head, and Maeve snatched the plate, waiting for no further invitation, and scampered back to her previous seat between Jodie and Ruby. At the other end of the table, Albus watched all the other new Gryffindors converse and share food off each other's plates as though they had been friends their whole lives. There was a noticeable gap separating them from where Albus sat. He had heard the older students whisper and even try to encourage him to sit with the other first years, but Albus didn't need anyone else to tell him he wasn't mixing well with his housemates.

Albus tried as hard as he could to get along with the other boys in Gryffindor, but it wasn't very long before Albus could find something about every single one of them that he disliked enough to keep from being friends with them. Leo Edwin talked too much, while Damien Towler barely talked at all. Gavin Foss, the Muggle-born boy would ask questions before you could answer them. Riley St. John was never out of the company of the Gryffindor girls, who all seemed to speak in another language made up entirely of giggles. And after the incident their first night at Gryffindor Tower, he didn't need anyone to tell him that Simon Henry was an arrogant little prat.

Albus turned his attention back to his copy of _Standard Book of Spells_. He wanted to reread last night's homework before he had to go to Transfiguration. At least his classes proved to be a distraction from all these worries.

Astronomy proved to an interesting, if not tedious, class. The students would be kept up well past midnight looking through their telescopes at the beauty of the heavens, and give themselves migraines trying to read and create the star charts for their homework. The real reason most of the student liked Astronomy was because of the ability to walk the halls of Hogwarts late at night with Filch being unable to do anything about it. They were the kings of the school. That joyous feeling would last about until the next morning, when they had to wake up and drag themselves groggily till their next class.

But the Gryffindor students always found themselves able to catch up on their sleep in History of Magic. The infamous ghost, Professor Binns, taught the class, and he was just as terrible as his brother and parents had told him That monotone drone could put the entire class to sleep in a matter of minutes. Those who did manage to stay awake reported that Professor Binns didn't even seem to care.

Herbology was shockingly the most exciting class at Hogwarts, and Professor Longbottom was seen as a living hero in the eyes of the Gryffindors. Everyday lessons about the more mundane plants and fungi were peppered with war stories about duels, dark wizards, and Professor Longbottom beheading a giant snake with the sword of Gryffindor. Never had any students in Hogwarts history so looked forward to a lecture on the sedative properties of oleander venom.

So for the next few weeks, school went by with more or less excitement. With all the time spend, on what the teachers liked to call "the basics", it seemed like they would never get to learn any real magic. Even if Albus felt as though he weren't learning any that seemed remotely useful yet, he did get to know a lot of the other students. Well, more like he got to know their Houses as a whole.

Charms class was taught by the head of Hufflepuff House, Professor Branstone: a petite woman who was one of the school's younger teachers, and who also seemed to be the school's firmest believer in covering the basics…again, and again, and again. The entire first month was completely devoted to how to hold the wand correctly, how to move the wand correctly, and all the ways you could poke your eye out with your own wand. The Hufflepuff students that shared their class were only more than happy with the classroom situation and worked as hard as they possibly could to get the movement down perfectly, right down to having their pinkies at the right angle; while the Gryffindor students, on the other hand, became more and more impatient, eager to make their classmates float, make chairs dance across the room, and everything else they had seen the older students show off.

One day, Leo made the mistake of asking when they were going to be using real magic. The question earned a collective gasp from the Hufflepuff students, and a lecture from Professor Branstone.

"Mr. Edwin, do you know what will happen if I neglect to provide you with a strong foundation in magical technique?"

She paused as though she actually expected Leo to answer her. Slowly, he shook his head no.

"Well," she went on to explain, "you will be considerably behind other young witches and wizards you age. Your education will progressively become more and more impossible to keep up with, you will fail every major examination both at Hogwarts and in your later careers, and you will end up sweeping the streets in Diagon Alley. Is that what you want, Mr. Edwin?"

This time, every student in Gryffindor shook their head no. The Hufflepuff students took turns flashing the Head of their House with proud, triumphant smiles.

"Good," Professor Branstone smiled, turning back to her notes. "Now, back to the lesson. When holding your wand during a levitation spell, you must always remember…"

Professor Dugan, the Transfiguration teacher, however, seemed to operate his class on a completely different playing field. There was no such thing as moving along in a lesson too fast, you could always ask a classmate for help later. If you didn't understand what the lecture was about, it was because you didn't comprehend the text well enough and now you were holding everyone else back. Questions were encouraged, but you had to make sure it wasn't a question that would waste time. In short, going from Charms class to Transfiguration was like going from zero to sixty on his dad's old Firebolt.

The Ravenclaw students had no problem keeping up with this pace. Even Rose, who was still as glum as even, had no problem transfiguring her leaf into a piece of parchment. One thing Albus also noticed that most of the other Ravenclaw girls had formed themselves into a clique, a clique that Rose was clearly not a part of. In fact, in the corridors, as Rose walked passed the little gaggle of about four girls, Albus could hear them gossiping about her.

"That girl never talks to anyone, Freya," a girl wearing a gold headband snorted haughtily, addressing a girl who seemed to emit the air of being a leader.

"You don't have to tell me, Faline," said a brunette girl to her left, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "She has the bed right next to mine. Our first night as Hogwarts, I offered her some of those Bertie Bott's beans from the train, and she just turns over in bed and pulls the covers over her head."

"I'm not surprised, Gina," the girl named Freya said. "My dad went to school with her mother and told me she was always a snotty know-it-all who was too good for anyone in any house other than Gryffindor. Being raised by that woman, what would you expect?"

Albus heard a very distinct sniff come from his cousin, and watched her pace quicken as she ran out into the courtyard. The Ravenclaw girls giggled and made their way in the opposite direction. As the leader girl, Freya, brushed past him, Albus felt his blood begin to boil. What right did any of them have to talk about a member of his family that way? And if Rose was still upset, they certainly weren't helping to remedy the situation. Albus wanted desperately to take off after those girls and say some words that would get him detention for a month. But while he stood, nearly shaking in rage, the Ravenclaw gang had disappeared up the changing staircases, and Rose was long gone too.

* * *

One day, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a class that might have also been dismissed as a bore along with all the others, took on an entirely new dimension. Albus knew from his dad that the Defense Against the Dark Arts used to be the class that everyone was obsessed with, mostly because it was believed that the position was cursed. Every year for his dad's time at Hogwarts, there would be a new teacher. A good wizard turned slave to Voldemort, a famous pretty-boy author who turned out to be a fraud, a werewolf who later became Teddy's father, a Death Eater in disguise, a spy from the Ministry who tortured the students, and then the infamous Severus Snape for whom he was named all took their turns as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

But ever since Voldemort had been killed, the rumors of the curse had lifted, and the current professor had been at Hogwarts since Teddy was a first year. Professor Patil was a beautiful, yet intelligent woman who took her subject seriously. It was well known that she too was a veteran of the Second War, just like Professor Longbottom, but she never told war stories in her class. It seemed strange, because surely the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be the one who would have the best ones. But Professor Patil was quiet about her days as a student, and even seemed to become almost sad talking about something as simple as her own days as a student of Defensive magic. And one day, when the fog must have lead to equally foggy judgement, the entire class learned why in a very unexpected way.

It had actually happened quite innocently to begin with. While Professor Patil was taking a break from her lector to take questions, Gavin made the mistake of pointing out a scarlet and gold scarf that hung from one corner of the blackboard, covered in dust and colors faded by the years.

"What's that, Professor Patil?" he asked after she had called on him. "Did that belong to you when you went to school here?"

For a long time, Professor Patil didn't say a word. And the students, in turn, remained silent while they waited for her answer. When tears started to well in her eyes, everyone knew that Gavin had crossed some sort of invisible line. Professor Patil turned her back to class and began to walk away. As she did so, everyone gave Gavin an evil glare, even though none of them knew what he did wrong.

"No, Mr. Foss. This wasn't my scarf."

I was that simple sentence that took all eyes off Gavin and focused them back on Professor Patil.

While the class had be contemplating Gavin's doom, she had walked back towards the blackboard and gingerly lifted the scarf from its perch. When Professor Patil saw that she now had the class' undivided attention, she walked back to the front of the class, holding the scarf gently, not even shaking the dust from it.

"It belonged to my sister, Parvati," she told the class, obviously trying to keep her voice from catching. "She was killed, fighting the Battle of Hogwarts that happened right here."

The whole class became very silent. Quills stopped scratching, the whispers came to an abrupt end, and all eyes fell on Professor Patil.

"When we were younger, we both fought, side by side, in the resistance here at the school."

As Profeesor Patil countinued with her story, she slowly brought the scarf closer to her, hugging it to her chest like a security blankey. "I always thought she was so much braver than me. If anyone deserved to belong to the house of Gryffindor, it was her.

"So many people died that day. So many dear, dear friends that I have never stopped thinking about since."

This was a side of the war the students weren't used to hearing. Of course, it was a war, and they had known that some people died, but a face had never been attached to that concept before. A living, hurting human being who was standing right in front of them. Professor Patil, noticing the new faces of her students, quickly changed the pace of the lecture.

"But don't you all understand? That is exactly why Defense Against the Dark Arts is so important! It is why I choose to teach this very subject. I wanted to see with my own eyes that the future generation will be ready to stand and fight should another great evil come again; to teach you all how to do that has become my life's work."

But even with these new words of hope, Professor Patil still held the scarf against her. As if to ever let go of it would be to dishonor the memory of everyone she had lost.

"I suppose that is why I keep Parvati's scarf here," she finished, walking back to the board, and carefully, lovingly, hanging the scarf back in its place. "To remind me of that."

At this point, most of the girls in the class were rubbing at their eyes as silent tears poured out. It was also pretty clear that a lot of the boys were trying to hold in some emotions.

"And I also hope, whenever you see Parvati's scarf, it will remind all of you of that."

There was a silent murmur of agreement among the entire class.

"Well," gasped Professor Patil, wiping her eyes one last time, "We are just about out of time. Class dismissed."

Professor Patil, who was about as shocked as anyone, actually left the classroom before any of her students did that day. It was a good ten minutes before the first student dared to rise out of her seat. A few others followed, including Albus, but much of the class stayed behind to get an early start on the night's homework.

* * *

"Are yeh sure won't 'ave anymore rock cakes?" Hagrid asked, sliding the plate over to Albus.

Albus shook his, feeling he had already cracked three teeth on Hagrid's treats. He took a sip of tea, gripping his jaw as he felt the sting.

Friday afternoon tea had apparently become something of a family tradition, although it was only Fred and James who came along with Albus today. Though they were more than enough company, showing off some of their newer products they had gotten from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. As though Hagrid would actually buy a Projectile Vomit Retainer!

"Where's Roxanne today?" Hagrid asked, taking the plate back and grabbing a cake for himself.

"She and the other Chasers called an extra practice," Fred explained, still dunking his first rock cake in his tea. "Personally, I think they're just braiding each other's hair or trying on shoes or something."

Hagrid chuckled and took a bite of the cake.

"But what 'bout young Rose?"

"She's…um…sick," Albus lied.

"She is NOT," James argued. "Rose has been throwing a temper tantrum ever since she got here just because she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor!"

"It's pathetic," Fred agreed soberly.

Albus glared at the two of them. He couldn't stand to here them making fun of Rose like that. What were they doing to make her feel better?

"It looks like young Albus 'ere is not in the best of moods 'ither," Hagrid offered.

At that comment, Albus stared back into his teacup. The last thing he needed right now was for Fred and James to redirect their energies towards him.

"Yes, what could be so wrong in my younger brother's life to cause this horrific expression?" said James, adopting a dramatic woe to his voice as he hugged his brother around the shoulders.

"I do not know, Mr. Potter," answered Fred with the same level of dramatics, as he reached into the pocket of Albus' robes. "Could it be that this may hold a clue?"

"Hey!" shouted Albus as he watched Fred open his folded class schedule.

"I do not know, Mr. Weasley," answered James, keeping his ironclad grip around Albus' frame. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Give that back!" Albus struggle, trying to pry himself away from his brother.

"Yikes!" exclaimed Fred, passing the schedule to James. "Look at what they're torturing your little brother with today!"

"Double Potions with Slytherin!" James shouted dramatically, holding the paper just out of Albus' reach. "Taught by the infamous, the terrible Professor Katrina "Hardarse" Vhartan!"

"We should just take him out in back of the school and put him out of his misery right now!" Fred suggested

"Give me that!" Albus jumped at his brother, snatching the schedule back.

"And ye two be careful 'bout what yeh say 'bout Professor Vhartan," Hagrid warned. "Don't ferget that _I'm_ a professor too, one o' _yer's_. I'm sure yeh don't want me to take any points from Gryffindor for that little comment."

"Speaking of which," Albus huffed, hoisting his book bag over his shoulder, "I have to get to Professor Vhartan's class before she gives me detention for being late."

And without another word, Albus stormed out the door and into the damp fog. As he made a sharp turn against the huts outer wall, his foot kicked against a large crate the growled and jumped at him. As he watched the crate continue to shake and snarl, he smiled at the thought of what James and Fred would be facing in their upcoming Care of Magical Creatures class.

The fog on the way back to the castle was so thick that if Albus hadn't spent the last month memorizing the school grounds, he would have surely wandered into the lake. Behind him, he heard two sets of running footsteps, and it wasn't long before he was certain that Fred and James were following behind him.

"Oh, c'mon, Albus!" James shouted while gasping for breath. "You know Fred and I were just playing around."

But Albus kept on walking and refused to turn around. He felt like letting his older brother dangle for a little while longer. Maybe even if he wasn't exactly friends with the other Gryffindors, hanging around the school's boldest kids was starting to have an effect on him.

"Albus!" James shouted, not more than a few feet behind him. "Say something to let me know that you and I are okay!"

Albus smirked, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "Do you remember those special dragon hide gloves that Uncle Charlie sent you for Christmas this year? The ones made from the Ukrainian Ironbelly?"

James and Fred nodded, unsure for where this conversation was going.

"Well, make sure you bring them to Hagrid's class today."

He didn't even try to suppress his joy as expressions of fear and dread consumed his brother and cousin.

* * *

If there was one thing he could say about James and Fred, at least they weren't lying about this particular subject. Professor Vhartan was the most difficult Potions Master that Hogwarts had even seen, apparently a title that carried a lot of weigh.

Professor Vhartan was a tall, intimidating woman with piecing eyes and a booming voice. From what Albus could tell, she hated the world and everyone it. On the first day of class, Riley was caught passing a note, but instead of simply giving him detention or taking away points from Gryffindor, she made him walk to the front of the class, stand on his head, and sing "I'm a Little Teapot" until his face turned purple. And as soon as he collapsed, she then gave him detention and took twenty points from Gryffindor.

The only thing in the world that Professor Vhartan did seem to like was potions. And for Potions class that day, they would be brewing a draft to make finger nails grow three inches with one application. The way she described the process of measuring and boiling down the ingredients was almost poetic, and shockingly out of character. It didn't take long, however, before she seemed to remember her audience and reverted back to her usual manner.

"For this class, you will be split into pairs…that I will be choosing," Professor Vhartan added when she noticed the glimmer of happiness in her students' eyes.

"Mr. Edwin, you will be paired with Mr. Goyle," she announced, picking random student out from the opposite side of the room. "Miss Paddock, you will be with Miss Karamanlis…"

"Miss Ackhart and Miss Canning will be with Misses Cecilia and Claudia Pucey," Professor Vhartan scanned the classroom, looking for anyone she might have missed. "And Mr. Potter will work with Mr. Malfoy."

The students sat dumbstruck as they slowly began to realize that every Gryffindor student had been paired with a Slytherin. Was Professor Vhartan some kind off sadist? Did she enjoy watching her students suffer before her very eyes?

"Well, you have your assignments. Now get to work!"

Immediately, the students raced to gather their books and supplies, trying to figure out who would move and who would stay. A large Slytherin boy named Oscar Goyle knocked Ruby to the ground as he dashed towards Leo's table. Albus watched Scorpius roll his eyes and mutter something about an "ogre wearing robes" before he gathered up his supplies and moved to the empty seat next to him. Albus felt somewhat luckier than his Gryffindor peers. At least _his_ Potions partner was someone he knew.

"Some day, isn't it?" remarked Albus, the current situation in which the student from houses sharing a thousand year rivalry were now being force to work together without killing each other.

"My dad said when he was in school, the Potions Master at least favored the Slytherins," Scorpius replied, glaring at Professor Vhartan as she bent over to examine Maeve's unevenly sliced tubeworms. "Those days are long gone!"

Albus nodded as he stirred his own tubeworms into the cauldron.

"I saw your cousin this morning in Charms," he told him has he set up the scales.

"You did?" Albus gasped, nearly dropping his knife.

"What's wrong with her?" Scorpius asked, raising an eyebrow. "She's moping around like someone canceled Christmas."

"Yeah," Albus told him, glancing at the next step for the potion. "She's disappointed because she didn't get sorted into Gryffindor with the rest of the family. Is she still really bad?"

"I wouldn't know," Scorpius answered, beginning to stir the potion counter clockwise. "She had her head down for the whole class, even when we were supposed to be practicing wand movements. She lucky Professor Branstone didn't call on her to read!"

"Blimey," gasped Albus, shocked at what he heard. "I knew Rose was upset about not making Gryffindor, but I was certain she would have gotten over it by now."

"Well, she hasn't," Scorpius replied shortly. "Are you done with those root peelings yet?"

Albus slid his tray over towards the scales, and hung his head.

"I'm sure Uncle Ron was just kidding about disinheriting her if she didn't make Gryffindor," Albus went on, "and Aunt Hermione is so smart, she was almost sorted into Ravenclaw herself-"

"Will you stop going on about that Mudblood?" Scorpius groaned in exasperation. "Isn't it bad enough I have to hear my father go on about her when I'm at home?"

Albus felt himself freeze as Scorpius continued with his measurement as though he had said something as innocent as it was going to rain tonight. Albus himself had only heard the word "Mudblood" used a couple times, mostly from his Aunt Hermione, who seemed to use the word in a joking matter, but he knew it was a horrible word. He had called Lily that once when she broke his Victor Krum action figure and his mother had sent him to bed without dessert for a month. What could possibly be going through Scorpius' head that he thought it was okay to say that word about a member of his family?

"Professor Vhartan," Elle raised her hand from the back of the classroom.

"And what is wrong with you, Miss. Peakes?"

"There are about seven little bug things eating my nettles."

"Miss. Peakes, what kind of witch do you expect to be if you can't even use proper names? Those 'bug things' are called Chizpurfles."

"Okay," Elle tried again. "Professor Vhartan, there are about seven 'Chizpurfles' eating my nettles and…now my nettles are all gone."

"And now there are about seven hundred more crawling all over the floor." added her Potions partner, Phoebe Nott.

Albus watched Scorpius look down towards the floor and his eyes fill with horror. As he cast his own eyes down, sure enough, he saw what was quickly filling the rest of the class with fear. The floor was covered with what appeared to be a thick, moving carpet; a carpet that was slowly climbing up the legs of the chairs, onto the tables, and into the cauldrons and over the potions ingredients.

Albus jumped up to stand on the surface his stool, just like much of the class had already done. He had already learned pretty much everything there was to know about Chipurfles three years ago when his Grandmum Weasley had a horrible infestation at her house. By the time they had all been killed, his grandmums's potion stores were completely gone and her cauldron nearly destroyed. He also knew the students had a lot to worry about because one of the things Chipurfles frequently went after were the cores of magic wands.

"Alright," shouted Professor Vhartan, clearly in as much as state of worry as her students, "don't panic, children!"

"THEY'RE ON MY WAND! THEY'RE ON MY WAND!" screamed Thalia Karamanlis, shaking the infested rod in every direction she could.

Many of the students had climbed onto their tabletops, but at this point, there was no escape. There was nowhere in the room that was not covered with these horrid black bugs. The dungeon classroom became filled with the screams of girls and boys alike, and Professor Vhartan disappear into the potion storage, leading many of the students to believe that it had come to the point where it was every man for himself.

But even in the face of disaster, Albus could not forget the sting of the word Scorpius had said before. He had been stewing over Rose's problems ever since they had come to school. The last thing she or Albus needed at this point in time, was for this pureblood prat to attach such an insulting word to their family name.

Scorpius had clearly forgotten, his mind now occupied with shaking the Chizpurfles from his robes and holding his wand high above his head and out of their reach. Before he truly understood what he was doing, Albus reached down into the swarm, picking up an entire handful of the crawling insects and tossed them at Scorpius' midsection.

"AHHH!" Scorpius screamed, shaking franticly at his robes, trying to get rid of the insects that clung to him. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR, POTTER?"

But Albus didn't listen. He simply picked up another handful and threw, this time aiming for Scorpius' face. This time, however, he had the good sense to duck. Realizing that this was war, Scorpius reached down, cringing as the bugs squirmed against his skin, and landed a direct hit right on Albus' chest.

With that final action, Albus lunged at Scorpius and tackled him down to the hard stone floor. The two boys rolled across the ground, alternated between throwing punches and throwing handfuls of bugs. The other students were so preoccupied with their own fear of the Chipurfles, the either didn't notice the fight or didn't care.

In the heat of the fight, Professor Vhartan reappeared with a glass vile containing some violet, hissing potion. Before many of the students could look up, she threw it has hard as she could towards the ceiling and extended her wand.

"_Medicamentum depluit!_" she shouted.

A jagged yellow light shot at the flying vial with perfect accuracy, causing it to shatter and the potion to fall to every corner of the room as a type of misty rain. The screams of the students were soon replaced with a loud sizzling sound as the hundreds of hundreds of Chizpurfles began to dissolve where they stood. Within minutes, the potion had taken its full effect and all evidence of the previous infestation had disappeared.

The students stood frozen at all corners of the room, completely dumbstruck. Professor Vhartan seemed equally at a loss for what to do next. Clearly, all her years of study had not prepared her for this. She didn't even asked Albus or Scorpius why they were sprawled out on the floor when she had come out.

"Class…is…," she struggled with her words. "Oh, just everyone go!"

The students needed no further prompting than that. Gathering up their school supplies, making thorough checks to make sure none of the little invaders has sought refuge in their school books, they slowly made their way out the door. As Scorpius exited the door right after Albus, he met him with one final glare and then ran ahead to join the other Slytherin boys, who must have been in the middle of a very funny joke.

Well, that was just fine with him, Albus thought to himself as he too stormed off. He could not believe he ever thought there was a possibility that the Malfoy boy could be nice!

* * *

Later that night, in the Gryffindor Common Room, things had taken on a much more relaxed atmosphere. Students sat at the tables doing their homework, gossiping and sipping butterbeers in front of the fireplace, and even Victoire was relaxed, sitting in her favorite armchair, reading yet another letter that made her blush.

Albus sat on one of the sofas between two sixth-year girls, each reading a very complicated-looking textbook for N.E.W.T. level Charms. Albus, himself, was certain he had been sitting there longer than the both of them combined. He had finished his reading for both Transfiguration and Potions, and an essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He just finished a series of questions for Charms class, and was moving on to start a composition for History, when he heard a loud voice coming from behind him.

"Hey, little Potter," Maddox hopped over the back of the couch and put his arm around his shoulder like an old friend. "I heard about what happened in first-year Potions today. I hope you enjoy your afternoon off, because normally it takes an act of God for Professor Hardarse to call off class."

"Yeah," Albus answered, stilling scrawling away on his History composition, not looking up. "How did you find out about that?"

"Oh, Vhartan teaches the fourth-years right after the first-years, so I was already on my way down when I got the news," Maddox told with a smile as big as could possibly be. "I swear I saw a Gryffindor and a Slytherin hug each other when we heard."

If Maddox had been talking to anyone else, Albus was sure an ecstatic conversation would have erupted. But Albus knew he was in no mood to carry on with this.

"But enough about all that," Maddox changed the subject, "How else goes the life of the young Mr. Potter?"

Now, that was just about the last thing Albus wanted to talk about. He had been doing nothing but think about his life and lives of everyone he knew. It just seemed easier not to say anything at all.

Maddox must have noticed from the way Albus' head sank slowly and refused to answer.

"I'm guessing less than perfect?" Maddox offered.

"I don't know," Albus finally told him. "I guess things just aren't going the way I thought they would."

"How so?"

Slowly, Albus began to tell Maddox about all that had been dwelling on his mind: his worries about Rose, not having any real friends among the Gryffindor first-years, the gang of Ravenclaw girls who tormented Rose rather than try to make her feel at home in her house, and even the horrible word that Scorpius Malfoy had called his aunt. The more Albus spoke, the more he began to unveil about all his concealed disappointment about what school had turned out to be.

At that, Maddox offered a kind, almost knowing smile; the type of look Albus almost never saw from his own older brother.

"Well, you know," Maddox began, "sometimes you build something up so much in your head that it can never amount to the real thing. Even something as wonderful as Hogwarts."

Albus had to acknowledge the truth in those words. He had been hearing nothing but exciting stories about Hogwarts ever since he was old enough to understand what the word meant.

"I mean, look at where your own dad was coming from," Maddox continued, "We've all heard of the horrid, horrible Dursleys. I'll bet your dad would have been happy to leave if he had gotten a mandatory enlistment from the British Navy!"

Albus laughed; that was probably true! He had heard about how awful the Dursleys were too. Eleven years worth of bedtime stories, he had heard.

"But don't you worry, Little Potter," Maddox assured him. "It gets a lot easier from this point on."

Albus smiled and nodded his head. It was easy to believe the words Maddox said. A part of him _had_ to believe what Maddox said.

"How was your school day?" Albus asked, feeling lighter spirits, and a new confidence in the older, Gryffindor student.

"Oh, alright," Maddox responded with a growing smile, "But between you and me, your brother might have a little trouble catching the Snitch for the next couple of weeks!"

Albus laughed, starting to feel a much better already.

* * *

It makes me think. We all get out of school for bad weather, broken pipes, and ruined school lunches. What would it takes for the students at Hogwarts to get out of class. Just a random pondering.


	4. Chapter 4 The Ravenclaw Passageways

Everyone feels so bad for Rose,and you all wonder about why who was placed where. I got an incredible God-complex from writing this story, everyone in their proper place, all in the world according to OliveOil_Med.

* * *

Chapter 4  
The Ravenclaw Passageways

"Mail's here! Mail's here!" shouted Bailey from across the table as she jumped up onto her seat.

Albus looked up from his breakfast plate to see the dozens upon dozens of owls flock into the Great Hall and the packages they were carrying fall to the tables. All around the Gryffindor table, students held out their open hands as the swarm of owls dropped letters and parcels to their owners. To his left, he watched as Leo opened up a package of some type of Muggle candy. Damien was fingering a lumpy package wrapped in brown paper, and Maeve had a bundle of about eight letters, tied together with twine.

"So Muggles really have just one man whose job it is to deliver all the mail everyday?" Albus turned to his right and asked Gavin as more packages fell to the Gryffindor table.

"Sure," Gavin told him as he stirred honey into his porridge. "He's called a postman. He goes to every house in town, collects the mail, and then he brings everyone their mail."

"Blimey!"

Ever since Albus had his talk with Maddox, things seemed to be going a little bit better. He had even made friends with a few of the other Gryffindors. Not with Simon Henry, of course, but he talked to Leo and helped him with his Charms homework a few nights ago, and the night after that, Damien helped him with his Transfiguration essay. Now he had started having breakfast with Gavin. The girls had even seemed to start speaking in English, and invited him to play Gobstones just last night.

Blythe, Albus' barn owl, swooped down over his head, dropping an envelope onto his plate before perching on the edge of the table. Albus smiled and gave her a small bit of sausage before tearing the envelope open.

_Dear Albus,_

_Congratulations on making Gryffindor! The whole family is so proud of you. Between you and me, your father was more excited than anyone else. Your father's work has been pretty quiet lately and he has actually been home in time for dinner this entire week. I have been working on my Quidditch reports, as usual, and following the records of the Falmouth Falcons for James and Puddlemere United for you. Puddlemere has a game during your Easter break, and it wouldn't take very much for me to get press box tickets for the whole family!_

Albus felt an ever-growing smile on his face. His mum knew that Puddlemere United was his absolute favorite Quidditch team. He even had an autographed team poster in his room back home because his mum and dad knew the coach, Oliver Wood.

_Lily is adjusting to being the only child in the house. However, despite the fact that she helps herself to extra dessert and has moved all her dolls into your room, she tells me everyday that she misses you, and she still wants to go to Hogwarts RIGHT NOW!_

_So far, you father and I haven't gotten a letter from the school or from Dominique, so we can assume you haven't gotten into trouble yet. That already gives you a better school record than your brother, and possibly even your father and I!_

_I hope all of you classes are going well. Did you make sure to give our love to Neville? Don't let what your brother says influence you too much. We don't expect you to go up and hug him right in the middle of Herbology class in front of all your new friends. Just let him know that your father and I have him in our thoughts. I hear you also have Eleanor Branstone and Padma Patil for professors. You know, your father and I went to school with those two as well. In fact, if you and Rose want to see something funny at Christmas, all you have to do is ask Uncle Ron about Professor Patil and the Yule Ball. He'll know what it means, and his face will turn that funny shade of red._

_Love always,  
Mum_

_P.S. I'll see what I can do about getting Lily to move her dolls out of your room before Christmas._

Albus sighed. He was happy to hear from his family, but it only made him think about Rose. They had been attending Hogwarts for almost two months, and Rose had yet to make a single friend. Albus himself had formed a few casual friendships with his fellow Gryffindors, but Rose hadn't even accomplished that yet. Even the other members of the family had begun to notice something was wrong.

"You know, Albus, I'm good friends with Justine Grant, one of the Ravenclaw Prefects," Victoire told him one evening in the Common Room. "If you want, I can ask her to keep an eye on Rose, see what we can do to help."

However, Albus was not sure he trusted the other Ravenclaw girls to help his cousin. He remembered the horrid first-year girls who Rose had to share her room with every night. How much would they be willing to help? Yes, there didn't seem to be anything that anyone in the family could do when everyone Rose cared about residing in Gryffindor.

Suddenly, Albus felt a gust of wind brush on his hair. He looked up to see Giuseppe, the boreal owl that belonged to his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Albus groaned and shook his head. Last summer, when Giuseppe delivered a letter to their family about when to meet at King's Cross, he and James had gotten the idea that it would be funny to feed it a Bertie Bott's Bean while their mother was in the other room. Unfortunately, it had turned out to be locust flavored, and ever since, Giuseppe had come to see them everyday in the hopes of getting more treats.

Albus hadn't seen the owl since he came to school, but it seems that the greedy little bird had finally tracked him down. He probably saw Albus the last time he was delivering a letter to Rose.

Speaking of which, he noticed a white envelope in Giuseppe's claws that had to be for his cousin. It did not look like the type of parchment that a wizard would use, so it had to be from her Muggle grandparents, the Grangers. Albus tried to take it from him, but the owl refused to let go and even took a snap at his reaching hand. Finally, Albus got an idea to give him a small piece of his fried egg. While the bird choked down the food, Albus snatched the letter and ran for the Ravenclaw table.

"Rose," Albus called out, "Rose, Giuseppe brought me your mail."

Rose continued to stare straight ahead. A strand of her red hair fell in her face, but she didn't even bother to push away.

Sitting on the same bench as Rose were some of the other Ravenclaw first-years, mostly boys and one Chinese girl with her nose buried in a copy of _A Thousand and One Herbs and Fungi_. Sitting across from her was that same gang of four Ravenclaw girls, giggling and gossiping, and now pointing at Albus, as well as everyone else within their range of sight.

"Did you hear me, Rose?" Albus tried again. "I have your mail."

Still Rose acted as though Albus wasn't there. She just continued to stare down at her plate, her chin in her hands, as though she were waiting for the bacon to put on a show.

"Well, don't say 'you're welcome' or anything," Albus said sarcastically, shaking the envelope in front of his cousin's face.

"It's from your Grandma and Grandpa Granger," he told her, hoping that would perk Rose's interest. "You know, for Muggles, they've gotten pretty good at all the Wizarding ways of doing things."

Rose moved her hand to take a very minuscule bite of bacon, but still acted as though Albus was not there. Not as if she was ignoring him to be mean, but more like she was in her own little world right now. Or maybe she just wanted him to think she was in her own little world.

"Are you going to read it?" Albus asked, his arm becoming tired from holding the letter up for so long. "Do you want me to read it to you?"

Rose did not answer, but Albus' own curiosity allowed him to assume that meant 'yes'.

He tore the envelope open, squeezed into the seat next to Rose, and began reading aloud, quietly enough to be sure that the Ravenclaw Gang could not hear anything he said.

"They say they're really proud of you for getting sorted into Ravenclaw," he told her, hoping that hearing that someone was proud of her Sorting might lift her spirits. "Listen to what your grandpa says. 'Sorted into the house that is distinguished by intellect; you're definitely a Granger'."

However, it only seemed to make things worse. At the words, Rose pushed herself away from the table and stomped out of the Great Hall, her gasping breath telling him that she was trying as hard as she could to keep from crying. Albus was left standing there, still holding the letter from her grandparents, the Ravenclaw Gang laughing quite loudly at his turned back.

* * *

Albus closed up his collapsible telescope and slid it into his book bag as Astronomy class concluded. Unlike all the day classes where all the houses would be separated, all the school's first-years took the class together. Astronomy could only be taught at midnight, so there was not enough time to separate the students by house. The N.E.W.T. students had their classes on the weekend, but Albus still wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

However, unless a student had night vision or actually paid attention, they might not have even noticed everyone was together. No one in the class even talked to each other. Everyone had their own telescope, had to chart their own star charts, and anyone caught talking when they were supposed to be working got an automatic five points taken away from their house by Professor Sinistra.

However, even though the students were all kept in a circle, houses separated as they studied the night sky, as soon as Professor Sinistra called "Class dismissed', the students quickly found their own kind and walked down the staircase in those groups. The Ravenclaw students, as much as they all claimed to love learning, were always the first ones to leave. It didn't seem to bother Albus as much as it had before, though, now that he had friends among his own house to walk with. Tonight, he found himself in the middle of a small gang of Gryffindors including Damien, Bailey, and Gavin.

"Do you want to come with us, Albus?" Gavin asked him as the group made their way down the staircase. "Elle thinks she found the Room of Requirement that the resistance used during the war. She says there are even messages and people's names carved into the stone. Do you want to come with us to see? It's not like we wouldn't be able to outrun Filtch if he sees us."

"No, thank you," Albus told them, "I'm exhausted. I'm just going straight to bed."

Bailey shrugged. "Have it your way. I normally just get my sleep in History of Magic."

At Bailey's statement, the group of Gryffindors burst into laughter. However, even though Albus laughed right along with them, he still couldn't help feeling somewhat of an outsider. It was easy to tell that Bailey, Damien, and Gavin were as thick as thieves, despite the fact they had been complete strangers not two months ago. They sat together during classes, they were together outside of class, and had even served one detention together. Some of the older teachers remarked that Gryffindor had gained in a new 'Golden Trio' had remarked it. Most of the staff took it as a joke, but no one could deny that the three of them definitely had a much closer eye kept on them than everyone else.

It was almost like seeing a snapshot of his dad and his friends when they were at Hogwarts; a snapshot the Albus seemed stand far off to the side in.

"We'll see you in the morning, Albus," Gavin called back as he followed after Damien and Bailey, who had already gotten a running start down the corridor.

Even though the thought of his warm bed overpowered his desire to explore, he still wondered about the Room of Requirement. What kind of messages would the resistance have carved into the walls? It wouldn't have been battle plans, or something that could be used against them by Lord Voldemort's forces. Maybe it was things like sayings or passages written for the dead. How many people would he know who had carved their names into the wall? Neville probably did, along with his wife, Hannah. His mum's might be there. He knew that his dad, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione probably wouldn't have carved anything on the walls; they never-

"POTTER!" he heard someone shouting behind him, "ALBUS POTTER!"

Albus turned around and instantly felt his blood begin to boil. Running up behind him was none other than Scorpius Malfoy. What was he doing following him? The Slytherin dormitories were the other way.

At first, Albus held out the hope that the Malfoy boy had been calling out for someone else; that maybe, against all odds, there was another Albus Potter in this school that the Malfoy boy was really calling out to. That delusion ended rather quickly as he stopped Albus from leaving, grabbing onto his shoulder.

"Hello, Malfoy," Albus tried to say in a cold voice. "What are you doing out this late? Aren't the Slytherin dormitories the other way?"

"Looking for you!" Scorpius answered angrily. "And will you stop with that 'Malfoy' nonsense? I came out here to apologize."

Albus stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around to see if this was some kind of trick. For all he knew, this was just some ruse so he could finish insulting the rest of Albus' family. James had used this trick on Albus too many times before in his life for Scorpius to be able to pull it over on him.

Scorpius was hunched over, gasping for breath, but his face held an expression of pure sincerity.

"Are you at least going to hear me out?" Scorpius asked when Albus had still hadn't answered him.

Albus thought for a moment. James had gotten a lifetime of laughs out of this stunt when he used it, but the boy in front of him was clearly not James. Besides, other than one infraction, which even now he was apologizing for, Albus had no reason to think he was being tricked.

"Alright," Albus finally answered, setting his book bag down and leaning against one of the stone columns.

Scorpius inhaled deeply, as though preparing for a very long-winded speech. Finally, the words poured out, almost faster than Albus could keep up with them.

"I'm sorry I called your aunt what I did, but I honestly didn't know it was a bad word," Scorpius explained, still breathing somewhat hard. "Both my dad and my mum use that word at home all the time. I just assumed it meant someone who has Muggle parents."

Scorpius was panting and straining, as though his brain was running at the speed of light and his mouth was trying to catch up.

"But when I got back to the common room after class, a fifth year told me what it really meant," he said, becoming quiet, "I had no idea what an awful word it was, I swear!"

After that last statement, Scorpius stopped to study Albus' expression, as though he was trying to figure whether Albus was truly listening to his apology, or simply humoring him so that he would let Albus go off to bed.

The spell of quiet didn't last very long, however, before the words began pouring out all over again. Albus _was_ listening to Scorpius' words, although paying more attention to the emotion behind them. One thing he had learned from years of fake apologies from his older brother was that the words hardly matter; as long as you heard the true plea for forgiveness in the tone of voice and expression of face, you could tell a person was truly sorry. From everything Albus could see and hear, the one coming from Scorpius was genuine.

"So," Scorpius asked, breathing deeply from the effort of the long-winded speech, "do you accept my apology? Do you forgive me for what I said?"

Albus didn't have the chance to answer, however because the conversation was interrupted by the sound of a heavy book bag falling to the floor. Albus spun around without even thinking, not sure _what_ he would say if he saw a teacher. However, as quickly as the panic had filled him, it left when he saw that the noise wasn't made by anyone who could get him in trouble. It was a mousy-haired girl, probably not any older than Albus, walking across the connected hallway.

"I know that girl," Scorpius remarked, gesturing towards her. "That's Maris Bletchley. She's a Slytherin."

When he heard that, Albus was certain they were done for. He had heard all kinds of stories from his older cousins about how Slytherins would snitch on and even tell lies about Gryffindors solely for sake of getting house points taken away. Scorpius would no doubt be left out of this girl's report, but Albus began to panic at the though of the reaction he would get from his housemates when they learned it was him who had lost them so many points.

"Maris," Scorpius shouted out, clearly not worried about teachers, "Hey, Maris! What are you doing out this late?"

But Maris Bletchley didn't so much as glance at the two boys. Her gaze remained straight ahead, her steps slow and shaky. She didn't even go back for the books that had scattered across the stone floor, so she certainly wasn't going to listen to what Scorpius said to her.

"That's weird," Scorpius said with a raised eyebrow. "Bletchley is so inbred; she can't even trick the house elves. I didn't think it was actually in her to have the mental capacity to ignore someone."

"Well, what's she doing?" Albus wondered aloud as he snuck around the corner, Scorpius not far behind.

Maris Bletchley's steps were so loud against the stone floor, and far too distinct sounding to keep anyone from knowing she was a student out of bed. It would be only at matter of time before she herself was discovered by a teacher. She strode mindlessly down the corridor without even bothering to turn her head to make sure no one was following her.

"MARIS!" Albus shouted down the corridor, hoping to make her realize how much trouble she was in. "MARIS, COME BACK HERE BEFORE ONE OF THE TEACHERS SEE YOU!"

Still, Maris continued forward, not even turning her head to see who had shouted at her.

"It's like she's in some sort of trance," Scorpius observed. "I don't think she even heard you."

This time, Albus tried to see where it was that Maris was walking to, in the hopes he could see the source of Maris' trance. When he peeked around the last corner, he shifted his line of vision to match that of Maris'. As he leaned his head to the right, he was finally able to see the object of Maris Bletchley's interest. It seemed to be another student. A first-year, although he seemed too small to be even that old, for he was practically swimming in the black robes he wore. He beckoned Maris closer still, with a bony finger and a surprisingly pleasing cackle.

"It's that ugly first-year peeking behind the trophy case," Albus pointed out.

"Where?" Scorpius leaned forward over Albus. "I don't see."

"Down there," Albus pointed Scorpius' gaze lower, "He kind of small, so he's hard to see in the shadows."

But when Scorpius saw where Albus was pointing, his face lost all its colors and his breathing became heavy.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, even though he was almost too afraid to hear the answer.

"That's not a human, Albus!" Scorpius shouted in a hushed tone, his eyes quickly filling with fear. "That's an Erkling! They EAT kids!"

Now, Albus had never heard anyone talk about what an Erkling was before, but by the sudden loss of color in Scorpius' face, he knew it could not be anything that children were meant to be alone with. When he looked back towards the cloaked figure, he saw that it was, indeed, not human. It had a thin face with kiwi-green skin, and a long, pointy nose, with a chin to match. Now that Maris was finally getting close enough, Albus could also see the hungry gleam and pointy-toothed grin on the creatures face. Albus didn't need Rose lecturing behind him now. He could tell on his own that things were very, very bad right now.

"What do we do?" Albus spun around, and grabbed Scorpius by the shoulders. "We can't just let Maris get eaten by some midget-troll!"

"Class didn't let out that long ago," Scorpius told him, already beginning to walk back towards the Astronomy tower. "Professor Sinistra is probably still in her office. If we run, she'll probably be able to stop it!"

He knew there wasn't enough time to go running after Professor Sinistra. Not if they wanted to save Maris too. So, instead of following Scorpius, Albus ran straight ahead, even though he didn't have any idea what he was going to do when he got to the end of the hall.

"Albus," Scorpius exclaimed, causing Albus to stop shortly in his tracks. "What are you doing? The teachers' offices are this way!"

"C'mon!" Albus gestured back towards Maris and the Erkling.

But Scorpius didn't understand what Albus was trying to say.

"C'mon what?" he asked.

"C'mon, we've got to help her!" Albus explained with exasperation.

"Are you crazy?" Scorpius shouted, his eyes going wide. "That thing will just eat her, and then eat _us_!"

Despite Scorpius' reasoning, Albus couldn't wait around and argue while one of their classmates became someone's dinner, so he simply took off. Eventually, the footsteps he heard behind him told him that Scorpius had finally given in and decided to help him.

"Potter!" Scorpius shouted, following after him, "Albus, are you crazy?"

He couldn't be that crazy, Albus thought to himself; not if Scorpius was following him.

By the time they reached the end of the hall, Maris was already close enough for the Erkling to grab. Her eyes had a glassy quality to them, and her expression was blank. She was completely unaware of the monster licking its lips in front of her; unaware she was walking into her own grave.

With only mere seconds to react, Albus reached into his book bag, and pulled out the first thing his hand found.

"Hey, you!" Albus shouted as he threw a glass bottle of ink at the back of the creature's head.

It shattered to pieces with an echoing sound the rang through the corridor. Luckily, the sound of breaking glass and splattering ink seemed to be the exact sound that brought people out of trances, because Maris' eyes lost the glassy look they held before, and she began shaking her head violently. Albus could tell the instant that Maris came back to full consciousness because her face took on an expression of utter fear and dread at the creature in front of her.

However, by then, it didn't matter what she did, because the Erkling had completely lost interest in her. Now it had its eyes set on the two first years that actually had the nerve to come to it willingly. Licking its lips, the creature spun around and began a clunky, but quick pace towards Albus and Scorpius.

"Albus," Scorpius gasped as the creature came closer and closer, "this is your plan?"

It was true. Albus plan had been to get the creature away from Maris Bletchley by any means possible, but he hadn't exactly known what he would do once he did.

"What do we do?" he asked Scorpius, weakly.

"We run, oh genius of the Gryffindors!" Scorpius told him, dragging him backwards by the hood of his robes

"MARIS, RUN!" Albus shouted, as he stumbled along backwards, hoping he could at least make sure the girl was okay.

It took barely a moment for Maris to scramble to her feet and sprint towards the dungeon staircase, disappearing from sight. Albus felt some amount of relief knowing the girl was safe, a fleeting feeling that disappeared as soon as he realized how quickly the Erkling was gaining on both him and Scorpius.

At some point, Scorpius lost his grip on Albus' hood, causing Albus to tumble to the ground. Scorpius didn't wait for him, but with the kind of creature that was following behind them, Albus wasn't so sure he blamed him.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" Albus shouted as he pulled himself to his feet and raced to catch up with the boy in front of him. "The dungeons are the other way, and I don't think I can run all the way to Gryffindor Tower! Besides, what if that thing goes after another student before we can get help?"

"Ravenclaw!" Scorpius pointed towards an eagle-shaped knocker not five feet in front of them. "We don't have to find a teacher. I'll bet a sixth or seventh-year could handle that thing just as well as any of the teachers could."

While Albus highly doubted that, it was a Ravenclaw N.E.W.T. student or just continue to let this monster rampage through the school.

"How will we get in? We don't know the Ravenclaw password!" Albus suddenly realized as Scorpius reached for the eagle knocker.

"This dormitory doesn't have a password," Scorpius explained. "It will let anyone in as long as they can solve the riddle it gives them!"

"You make it sound so simple,"

"All we have to do is answer a riddle, Albus," Scorpius told him as he gasped for breath. "How hard can it be?"

Scorpius gave three sharp knocks against the brass, causing the eagle to come to life and ask the fatal question.

_"You are walking through a path in the woods, and you come to a fork in the road. One road will lead you to Hogsmeade Village, and the other will just lead you further into the woods. Two men stand at each road, one tells only truths, and one tells only lies. You are allowed to ask one question. What will you ask to find the path that leads to town?"_

Albus blinked in confusion and Scorpius' previous look of confidence vanished from his face. This was a riddle that they expected children to solve? He knew that Ravenclaws were supposed to be intelligent and creative, but the riddle was so obscure, he barely understood the question, let alone the answer.

"We could ask it which one's the liar." Albus asked, breaking himself out of his spell of awestruck confusion.

"No, they'll just both say they're not the liar," Scorpius told him. "What if we asked them to show us the path to the woods?"

"No, they'll just each point to a different path," Albus shook his head, feeling his heartbeat quicken as he began to hear the faint sound of footsteps stomping across the stone floor. "What about 'Which path doesn't lead to the village'?"

"That's just the same problem as before!" Scorpius exclaimed as the clunking footsteps drew closer and closer.

"If I were to ask you which path leads to town, what would you reply?" came a voice from behind them.

"_Very insightful,_" the knocker answered as the door opened slowly.

Albus and Scorpius turned around to see a pajama-clad girl with bed-ragged red hair, an exasperated look on her face and polar bear slippers on her feet.

"Why are you two still wandering around the halls?" she asked in an almost-bossy tone.

"ROSE!" Albus shouted, finding himself face to face with his cousin.

"What are you two doing out of bed this late at night?" Rose asked them in a voice of calm annoyance, even as Albus and Scorpius heard the Erkling's clunky steps draw closer and closer. "You do know if one of the teachers catches you out of bed, you get twenty points each taken away from your house."

Oblivious to their fear, Rose continued to lecture. Scorpius and Albus watched the Erkling appear from around the corner, glance around while sniffing through the air, and set its sights on the now three first-years, just waiting to be eaten. Albus could swear he saw a trail of drool trailing the monster from behind.

"Rose!" Scorpius pointed behind her as the Erkling drew closer.

"Don't you try to shift the blame onto me, Malfoy," Rose crossed her arms across her chest, "That's not going to satisfy anyone who catches you unless you can come up with a good reason for why you haven't gone to bed yet."

Albus, not trusting himself to come up with the right words to say in so short an amount of time, simply grabbed Rose by the hair and the chin and turned her so she could see for herself why they were still out of bed. At first, Rose looked as though she might scream, but as soon as she saw what the boys saw, her voice went quiet and her face became as white as it had been the day she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor.

"Alright," Rose gulped as her eyes grew large, "_that's_ a very good reason."

This time, instead of the familiar cackle they had been hearing so far, the Erkling let loose an echoing roar, and its face took on a look of anger. This time, Albus didn't need a N.E.W.T. student to tell them that they had just made things that much worse.

"Both of you, run!" Scorpius shouted as he sprinted into the Ravenclaw Common Room; Albus was at his heels, holding Rose by the wrist.

"How did that thing get into the castle?" Rose exclaimed once they finally reached the Common Room floor. "You two didn't let that thing follow you back from the Forbidden Forest, did you?"

"Yea, that's it, Rose," Scorpius gasped, but still able to sound sarcastic. "Albus and I found a forest monster that lives off the flesh of children, but instead of running away like scared chickens, we thought it would be more fun to bring them back to the castle to see how many of our friends it could eat before anyone noticed!"

But before Rose could come up with a response, another roar echoed from the bottom of the staircase, followed by the growingly familiar clunking footsteps.

"You didn't even shut the door behind you?" Rose screamed at the boys.

"Lecture later," Albus told his cousin, eyes racing over the common room. "Right now, we need a place to hide!"

Rose's eyes began to race around the common room, looking for somewhere, anywhere, that would be out of range of the Erkling. Finally, her eyes rested on a dark blue tapestry of the constellation, Pegasus. With one swipe of her arm, the tapestry was pushed aside to reveal a heavy wooden door hidden behind it.

"Up through here!" Rose screamed as she ran off ahead of them.

As the three of them raced up the stairs, a sudden thought seeped its way into Albus' mind at the seventh step, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Rose, boys can't go up into the girls' dormitories," Albus reminded her. "Scorpius and I will fall right back down into the Erkling's mouth!"

"We're not going to the dormitories," Rose turned her head to tell Albus. "This is Ravenclaw's secret entrance to the Astronomy tower. If we can get the Erkling to follow us, I might have an idea!"

"You have your own secret entrances to the classrooms?" Scorpius asked, curiosity shortly overriding his fear.

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure,_" Rose reminded them, trying to sound singsong even as she gasped for breath. "Faster, boys!"

Albus felt his heart beat faster and faster until it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. Finally, at the very end of the staircase, Rose pushed up against the ceiling, allowing the moonlight to flood in. With one very high jump, she grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up. When she scrambled up to the floor above them, she held out her hands to Scorpius and Albus to help pull them up.

No wonder the Ravenclaw students always disappeared so fast.

"Okay, is it following us?" Rose asked from the ledge.

Rose's question was answered for her by yet another deafening roar. A sound that was much too close for any of them to feel safe.

"Yes, it's following us!" Scorpius informed her, crouching over the trap door in the hopes he could hold the monster off for a few precious moments.

"Good!" Rose breathed as she looked down onto the courtyard, calculating her next move.

"Alright, Rose," Albus asked, joining his cousin at the side of the ledge. "What's your brilliant plan?"

Rose squinted in the darkness as though she knew exactly what she was looking for, but she didn't bother to tell Albus what that thing might be.

"There!" She pointed to the castle wall off to the left. "See the brooms left there for the first-year flying lessons?"

"What about them?"

"Well, I'm going to need one of them for this to work."

"But if you needed a broom, why did you lead us all the way up here?" Albus shouted, keeping his eyes on the trapdoor that Scorpius was trying to block. "Don't you have a secret passageway to the ground?"

"We're going to charm it up here," Rose explained, pulling her wand from the inside of her pajama sleeve. "_Accio_ broom!"

But nothing happened. Every single one of the brooms remained happily on the ground, a good three hundred feet below them. Rose's wand didn't even so much as send out a spark.

"It's _not_ working!" Albus informed his cousin bluntly.

"Well, this is an upper level charm!" Rose defended her skills as a witch, "and this is the first time I've tried it."

"It's what?" Albus exclaimed at Rose, the "brilliant" Ravenclaw.

Suddenly, both of them were distracted by a shout from Scorpius and the distinct sound of the trapdoor jolting as the Erkling tried to push it up from under Scorpius' weight.

"IT'S COMING!" Scorpius shouted as the trapdoor shook under him.

"_Accio_ broom!" Rose tried again, but to no avail.

Unlike them, the Erkling had decided to change strategies. Instead of only one massive jolt, it began to shake the door continuously in the hopes that Scorpius would lose his grip and get tossed to the side.

"Rose, we need a new plan!" Albus shouted, as he watched Scorpius, eyes squinted and teeth clenched, hanging onto the trapdoor for dear life as his thin frame shook violently.

"I CAN DO THIS, ALBUS!" Rose screamed, half out of fear, half out of desperation. "_ACCIO_ BROOM!"

This time, the broom shot up to the Astronomy tower faster than it probably could have flown, right into Rose's waiting hand.

"I got it!" she shouted in momentary celebration.

"Wonderful," Scorpius gave a mock cheer as the door continued to shake beneath him. "Now what?"

"Okay, Albus," Rose turned towards her cousin, letting him in on the finer details of her plan. "Erklings live off of eating children, but luckily for us, they're not terribly bright."

She ended by holding the broom up to Albus and thrusting it in his direction. "All you have to do is fly this broom just a meter or so beyond the ledge, and it will probably follow you right off!"

"But, Rose," Albus argued, pointing out the one flaw in his cousin's plan. "I don't know how to fly!"

The tower fell dead silent, save the struggles of the Erkling grunting and struggling under Scorpius' feet.

"Excuse me?" Rose glared with an expression that showed she was trying not to scream. "Your father was possibly the greatest Seeker this school ever saw, your mother played professional Quidditch, your own brother's a Seeker now, and you can't even ride a broom!"

"What about you?" argued Albus. "You come from the famous Weasley Legacy of Quidditch!"

"I also come from the famous Granger Legacy of 'Rose, get off that broom before you break your neck'!"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Scorpius groaned as he jumped off the door and reached Rose in four leaps.

However, the door only remained closed for a mere moment after that before the Erkling burst through, tearing the trapdoor off its hinges and across the stone rooftop. Certain that he felt his heart stop, Albus sunk down along the ledge, dragging his cousin down with him. While the Erkling lifted its nose to sniff through the air, Albus covered his face with his hands and waited for his life to flash before his eyes.

"Hey, dung-breath! Over here!"

Albus peeked through his fingers just enough to see that Scorpius had mounted the ancient school broom, and was standing as close to the ledge as was physically possible. To his right, Rose curled against the ledge, hiding her face behind her knees and shaking, as though she was afraid to see even the smallest hint that her plan might not work.

Scorpius kicked himself away from ledge, wobbling just slightly, but certainly not falling to his death. Now Scorpius seemed to have completely attention of the Erkling, lulling it away from the fact that there were already two children not three feet in front of him, proving Rose's words about Erklings not being the brightest creatures that walked the earth.

Scorpius looked down, becoming slightly paler than was even before, and then shook his head, as if shaking the memory of the height from his brain. Finally, he surveyed the distance he had floated from the tower, making sure he was still close enough for the creature see him before he moved onto the next phase of the plan.

"That's it, ugly. Come get your dinner," he called out to the monster, beckoning it forward with his one free hand. "Yummy, yummy first-year floating all alone with no adults to smash you over the head with a cauldron."

The Erkling had now completely forgotten about Rose and Albus now that there was another child right in front of him, literally begging to eaten. It ran its tongue over its scaly lips and came closer.

"Mmm," Scorpius hummed, running his nose over his arm. "Pureblood: the _other_, other white meat."

Just as Rose predicted, the Erkling ran towards Scorpius and leapt at him, falling to his death when Scorpius was but a few precious inches out of his grasp. Then, with a sound similar to that of an extremely heavy water balloon, Albus felt his heart start to beat again, and Rose's fingernails pull out of his skin.


	5. Chapter 5 The Arcane ScoRA

Well, all of you who didn't understand the story title until now will get a much better idea after this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 5  
The Arcane ScoRA

"How did you know that would work, Rose?" Albus asked later as they walked back down the stairs, after everyone had had a chance to calm down.

"Scorpius, are you _sure_ that you landed the broom back near the others?" she asked, ignoring Albus' question.

The tone between the three students was a lot more relaxed, now that their lives were no longer in mortal danger. After all, like Albus' own father had learned as a first-year, people didn't wrestle themselves from the jaws of death and not come out of it with a deepened sense of closeness among them.

"Rose, there is a _dead_ student-eater spattered across the school yard!" Scorpius reminded her, jumping the last three steps to the Common Room floor, the carpet cushioning the noise. "I don't think anyone is going to be looking at the brooms! Now, how did you know?"

Rose sighed and shook her head, as though this question had the world's simplest answer. "There are about five N.E.W.T. students in Ravenclaw taking Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class," Rose explained. "They're studying trolls, ogres, and Erklings right now. All they ever talk about in this house is school work!"

"Well, then you must fit right in!" Scorpius told her, running his hand along the top ridge of one of the sofas.

Rose bit her lip and somewhat violently opened the door to the corridor staircase, as though she really wanted to be taking her feelings out on Scorpius.

"But don't you see, Rose?" Albus began explaining to his cousin before a meltdown could start, also being the first to start back down the stairs. "The Sorting Hat was right; you _do_ belong in Ravenclaw. If you weren't in there, you wouldn't have known what to do just now."

The faintest wisp of a smile appeared on Rose's lips. It was the happiest Albus had seen his cousin ever since they arrived at Hogwarts.

In fact, Albus himself was feeling ecstatic as well. All his life, he had been regaled by his fathers adventures at Hogwarts; from the time he and Uncle Ron defeated a full grown mountain troll, to the time he and Aunt Hermione traveled back in time, saved a hippogriff from execution and helped a his godfather escape from custody, and even when he led the Hogwarts resistance against the Ministry. Now Albus could understand that look that his dad got on his face whenever he talked about his glory days: what just happened with the Erkling was nothing short of amazing! Sure, at the time, he was too distracted by the fear of certain death, but now he nearly felt like he was floating.

However, at the bottom of the staircase, when his gaze shifted to Scorpius, he noticed a very different expression: a mixture of fear, panic, and nausea.

"What's wrong, Scorpius?" Rose asked him before Albus could.

"Oh, Merlin," Scorpius gasped, staying silent for moment so the others could hear the footsteps closing in on them. "That's Professor Vhartan! She's on duty to patrol the halls tonight! If _she_ catches us, she'll take away every point our houses have earned, and drag us to Flitwick's office by our eyelids!"

At those words, Albus was certain that his expression was now near identical to Scorpius'. Professor Vhartan was nothing less than a pure sadist when it came to the smallest of classroom infractions. He didn't even want to think about what she would do to students that she caught out of bed.

"You two better get out of here now!" Rose told them in a hushed tone.

"But she's coming from the direction of our houses!" Albus told her, his breath catching as the feeling of pure terror began to pierce into his very soul. "We don't have anywhere to run to!"

The footsteps clicked loudly and sharply against the stone floor; and even though he never thought it was possible to tell a person's mood from their feet, he seemed certain that Professor Vhartan was not in a sunny mood right now.

"We are as good as dead," Scorpius said grimly. "Have you two even been dragged anywhere by your eyelids before? I don't imagine that it's very pleasant!"

But Rose, clearly not quite ready to surrender, jumped to the floor and ran out ahead of the boys.

"Follow me!" Rose whispered, as she jumped from the steps and started down the hallway. "I know a place to hide!"

Trying to run as quickly and lightly as possible, Albus and Scorpius followed after Rose. Through doorways, stairways and corridors, black robes followed a pink one, the sound of heeled boots trailing behind them.

Suddenly, Rose skidded to a stop, causing Scorpius to crash into her, and Albus to crash into Scorpius before the both of them fell flat on their backs. Rose spun around to point to the doorway, kicking it opened with one of her slipper-covered feet.

"In here!" she whispered, keeping her eyes on the end of the hallway, watching for Professor Vhartan.

"This a _girls'_ bathroom!" Scorpius hissed at Rose. "We're trying to _stop_ getting into trouble tonight!"

"Who's down there?" came the familiar hissing voice that they normally only had to endure through Potions.

"Eyelids," she reminded him as she held the door open.

Scorpius didn't need anymore prompting as he raced through the open door. Albus, who was still on the floor, crawled into the bathroom, and Rose followed behind, remembering to close the door behind them.

The bathroom was utterly dark, save for the faint moonlight that beamed into the room. What struck Albus first and foremost was that everything in the bathroom was in perfect order. Whenever he had gone into the boys' bathroom, sinks were left running, puddles and wet towels were scattered across the floor, along with the occasional smells that he choose not to dwell on. He knew as a law of physics that girls were much neater than boys were, but this bathroom looked as though it had not even been used for decades.

"Back here," Rose instructed them as she led them to a tiny alcove behind the last bathroom stall.

Together, the three students scrambled to the opposite end of the bathroom, huddling against the wall, listening for any sound that might signal the end of their days at Hogwarts.

A leaky pipe dripped rhythmically into the sinks, but other than that and the hushed sounds of their breathing, the room was completely silent. As they heard Professor Vhartan's boots becoming quieter before completely vanishing. It didn't even sound as though she had opened the door to look for anyone. After a long wait in the silence, Rose got up from the floor, still somewhat hunched, as her ears perked, listening for Professor Vhartan in case she decided to double back.

"Alright," she finally breathed with a sigh of relief, "I think we're safe now. But we should probably wait a few more minutes before we try to go back to the dormitories anyway."

But Albus and Scorpius remained on the floor, their backs to the wall, like prisoners waiting for the firing squad.

"How do you know no one will find us in here?" Scorpius asked as he hugged his knees to his chest. "Someone could come in here to use the bathroom, or Vhartan might have heard us run in here-"

"No one is going to use this bathroom," Rose interrupted, not even bothering to whisper. "And Professor Vhartan is not going to care if there's noise coming from _this_ bathroom."

Rose seemed so sure of herself. Rose, who wouldn't leave the house before checking three times that her shoes were tied, looked thoroughly convinced that this bathroom was some sort of impervious shield that would keep them from being found.

"Why?" Albus asked.

Just then, Albus' question was answered for him in the form of an ear-splitting shriek. Three sets of hands rushed to cover three sets of ears to block out the noise that Albus was convinced would shatter a mirror.

"That's why," Rose told him, still holding her hands to her ears.

Albus looked up to get a better look at what his cousin was talking about. Floating above them was a ghost, but not any of the ghosts that flouted around the great rooms, among their houses. This ghost was that of a girl, a Hogwarts student. Her hair was lank, pimples were dotted across her face like freckles, and her glasses were so thick, Albus wondered how _anyone_ could be able to see through them.

"Who-" Scorpius began, "_what_ is that?"

"This is Moaning Myrtle," Rose explained to the boys, "She haunts the bathroom."

"She haunts a bathroom?" Scorpius asked skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

"Not the whole bathroom," Rose clarified, "Just one of the toilets."

"Well, that makes a _lot_ more sense," Scorpius drawled sarcastically.

Moaning Myrtle, on the other hand, did not seem so amused. She glared down at the three panting students, a look of frustration and anger in her listless eyes, which shown even through the coke-bottle glasses.

"What are _you_ two doing is here?" Myrtle pointed towards Albus and Scorpius. "You two aren't girls! You don't belong in here!"

"I know that, Myrtle," Rose tried to appease the ghost girl, and above all, keep her quiet. "But we've had a very rough night; rougher than you can even imagine. Please, please, please-"

"I'm going to go tell one of the teachers that you're in here!"

With those words, Myrtle shot off like a rocket and made her way for the bathroom door, taking a large breath, as though she were getting to scream for anyone who could hear her.

"No, you can't tell!" Albus shouted, trying to stop her.

Albus didn't why he though that would, but it must simply been his lucky night. Myrtle stopped in her…tracks, and shot back towards Albus, floating right in front of his face, their noses almost touching.

"Why?" she barked, as though daring him to give her an actual answer.

Albus was about to explain to Myrtle that if she did, they would all be expelled, but Scorpius beat him to the punch by offering a better reason.

"Because if you do, you'll be breaking the rules."

After those words where spoken, the entire room fell silent. Even the pipes seemed to stop droning from the shock of the random statement.

"What rules?" Myrtle asked, still angry, but looking genuinely curious.

Rose chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for Scorpius to continue. But Scorpius seemed so shocked that Myrtle was actually listening to him, that he seemed at a loss for words. However, as Myrtle waited for Scorpius to give her an explanation, Albus watched the wheels begin to turn in Rose's head, coming up with an answer for him.

"The rules…" Rose started, "of our secret society!"

Albus turned back towards his friends and wrinkled his nose. _What_ secret society were they talking about. Had there been some owl that he had simply not gotten?"

"What secret society?"

However, when Albus study the two expressions before him more closely, it finally dawned on him. There _was_ no secret society. Scorpius had merely been winging it when he stopped Myrtle, and Rose was winging off _that_ statement, and Scorpius continued to embellish off her statement again.

"The one…that the three of us belong to," Scorpius went along with Rose. "And if you tell the teachers, it won't be a secret society anymore."

Myrtle's brow furrowed, as though she couldn't quiet decided whether or not Scorpius was telling the truth. For once in his life, Albus was beginning to see the benefits of being friends with such a skilled liar.

"What's your society called?" Myrtle finally asked after a moment of silence.

Two blank stares met Albus' gaze. They didn't have an answer for that question.

"The…Arcane…" Rose tried, scanning her brain for words, trying to think of a name off the top of her head. "The Arcane…"

"Yes?" Myrtle crossed her arms.

Now, Albus realized it was his turn to help move this little white lie along. But if Rose was having trouble thinking of good word, then what chance did he have. He turned towards Scorpius, who didn't seem to have anything to contribute either.

Scorpius, Rose, Albus…

"…ScoRA." Albus finished for Rose.

Rose's blank expression became one of confusion, but Scorpius decided to run with it.

"Yes!" Scorpius agreed quickly. "The Arcane ScoRA. That's us!"

Myrtle nodded, but didn't look like she believed the story one hundred percent.

"Well, what does the _Arcane ScoRA_ do?"

"All kinds of things," Albus told her, turning back around. "But for the most part, what we do is keep the school safe…from monsters…like we did tonight."

"And the very first, and most important rule we have is," Scorpius said, as though reading Albus' mind, "DON'T GET CAUGHT!"

Upon hearing Scorpius' rule, Myrtle snorted and laughed. She shook her head and looked down at the three first-years, gracing them with a look Albus had often seen coming from the prefects, the older, Quidditch players, and pretty much anyone else in the school that was at least two years older than they were.

"If there _is_ a secret society that has been charged with protecting the school, why wouldn't you want anyone to know that you just saved the school?" Myrtle inquired as she glided over the bathroom stalls. "You, with the dark hair; you're a Potter, are you not? Your father is the famous Harry Potter?"

Myrtle finished the sentence with a slight giggle and dreamy looking smile on her face. Albus decided not to wonder what this meant as he nodded yes.

"Well, did he _not_ tell you how famous he was as a student here? How he was the Tri-Wizard Champion, the Chosen One, and how his friends all had the pleasure of riding on his coattails? Who wouldn't want that?"

For once tonight, Albus had an answer already prepared for Myrtle. It was one that his dad had said himself on many occasions: the downside of having a famous youth, somewhat tweaked to apply to this conversation.

"And look at how much it hindered him," Albus explained in calm, level tone. "Professors watching every step he took, appearing in the _Daily Prophet_ every time he so much as sneezed. Everything he ever did was made a thousand times harder simply _because_ he was seen as a hero."

"_That's_ why it's so important for the…Arcane ScoRA to be kept a secret," Rose embellished, she herself having heard this answer before too. "There is no way we would be able to continue to keep the school safe with our every move being watched. It's better for everyone if nobody ever finds out who we are."

"Everyone?" Myrtle wondered aloud with a heavy tone of skepticism, implying that she wondered what would be in it for her for keeping her mouth shut about all she had seen tonight.

"Why do you think we chose to hide in here?" came an answer from Scorpius, putting an end to his bout of silence.

Turning his gaze back once again, Albus observed a cunning sort of smile appear on Scorpius' face. Even though he himself was still unsure of how he felt about this growing lie, Scorpius was beginning to look as though he were having fun with this story. Then again, the opportunity to test their skills of manipulation on a complete stranger; wasn't that the sort of thing all Slytherins dreamed of?

"What we need," Scorpius continued on in that familiar, somewhat arrogant drawl of his, "Is someone who can be our eyes and ears around the school. As mere humans, we have limits. We cannot pass through physical barriers: we can be stopped in our tracks by professors and prefects without them even needing to lift their wands: and a group of first-years sneaking around the school is certain to draw attention, no matter how skilled they are."

Myrtle nodded to this with a growing smile on her face. Scorpius hadn't exactly complemented her, but still, he was managing to heavily flatter her, getting her ready to say yes to whatever he said next.

"Myrtle, I would like to make you an offer," he drawled on. "We need you, clearly a lot more than you need us, but we need you all the same. The only way for the Arcane ScoRA to thrive is if we have someone outside our immediate circle to inform us to the goings on in this school. And I'd, we'd, like _you_ to be that person."

Myrtle let loose a squeal of delight before she was able to regain her composure, floating back down to the ground do she could be at eye-level with the three of them.

"Why would I have any interest in doing that?" Myrtle asked, even though the wide smile on her face told them she had already said yes, at least in her mind.

"You admire Harry Potter," Scorpius went on. "I can hear it in your voice. I can see it in your eyes. If you had the chance to do what he did, you would jump at it. Simple as that; and we both know it."

This time, Myrtle did nothing to conceal her true feelings as she answered.

"I'll do it!"

Certain that their safety as Hogwarts students was secure, Albus breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, eventually they were going to have to find a way to explained to Myrtle how the "Arcane ScoRA" disbanded as quickly as it had formed, but that was one of the great things about being eleven years old. None of them had to think that far into the future. All that mattered now was that no one was being expelled. At least not tonight.

"To the Arcane ScoRA!" Albus shouted, just to leave their cover on a convincing note.

"To the Arcane ScoRA!" they all then cheered together, including Moaning Myrtle.

Scorpius seemed to share the same sense of relief that Albus felt, but one look into Rose's eyes told him all the what if's that were running through her head. What if Myrtle learned they were lying, what if one of the other Ravenclaws had seen them lead the Erkling up to the Astronomy tower, what if Professor Vhartan wasn't the only professor patrolling the halls that night, and on and on and on…

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Rose asked through clenched teeth, her smile able to mask the fearful hiss.

"I have no idea," Albus answered, also through clenched teeth as Moaning Myrtle did loop-de-loops through the air.

* * *

Any hopes of keeping the incident a secret were a lost cause. Like Scorpius had said the night before, a dead student-eater splatter across the courtyard was not the kind of thing you can keep secret for very long. Being that keeping it from the teachers who saw it on an early morning walk across the school grounds, or the nosy students that came running at the first sound of the teacher's screams.

After that, to say that news of the Erkling was spreading around the school by the next week was certainly an understatement. It was all anyone could talk about every second of every day from the moment the Ravenclaw Quidditch team first found the remains on the way to an early morning practice. And for nearly a week afterwards, many of the younger students actually refused to leave their dormitories for fear that the Erkling had friends that might be coming back for them any day now. It wasn't just the younger students who were afraid either. Prefects on their rounds of the halls would jump at the smallest of noises and teachers watched their students just a few moments longer after they left their classrooms.

It was only after Headmaster Flitwick held a school-wide assembly in which each of the professors demonstrated their skills in combat against Erkling-sized targets did things begin to calm down. Only three certain first-years seemed unable to forget the events that had transpired that night.

For long after the school's panic had faded, Albus, Rose, and even Scorpius found themselves unsure of how to behave or even whether or not they should speak to one another. Sure, after they had survived that ordeal together, they could certainly nearly be friends, but brothers in a secret society? What these three together couldn't exactly be called friendship. It was a strange combination of fear, awe, and mutual admiration that was shared among the members of the Arcane ScoRA. If the Arcane ScoRA even existed still, because none of them so much as breathed its name.

The underlying sense of panic felt among the society's members didn't do anything to ease the tension among them. For days afterwards, they would jump whenever a teacher called on them in class, shake in their shoes whenever they were stopped in the halls by their house prefects, and feel the constant queasiness in their stomachs as though they were filled with leaping toads. Albus almost began to wonder whether it would have been easier to just let Professor Vhartan catch them and simply take their punishment. No matter what she would have been able to think of in terms of their detention, at least it would be over and done with.

Nevertheless, the days went by, and the days eventually turned into weeks. They still hadn't been caught, or so much as asked to stay after class. Eventually, even if they took longer that the rest of their classmates had, Albus', Rose's, and Scorpius' routines began to return to normal, save the fact that Rose was no longer a moping mess. Although she still had yet to become friendly with any of the other Ravenclaw girls, a renewed glow about her went with being happy for the first time in ages. Everyone in the family of Gryffindors noticed it, but not one of them dared question it, for fear of jinxing the mood.

* * *

"Albus," Rose ran from behind shouting one day, just before Transfiguration. "Albus, wait for me!"

Albus watched as his cousin pushed her way through a crowd of not-so-pleased fifth-year girls and doubled forward to gasp for breath when she finally reached him.

"You do know that we're going to be seeing each other five minutes from now, don't you?" he asked, even though he could already tell by Rose's expression that whatever she had to say couldn't wait.

"We have a problem," Rose told him as she began to move forward toward the classroom, this time dragging Albus behind her.

"What is it?" Albus asked as he struggled to break the hold that Rose had on his robes.

"I had to walk past the bathroom last night," Rose told him. "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom! She asked me when we were going to have our next meeting."

"Meeting?"

For a moment, Albus didn't know what his cousin was talking about. At least he didn't until Rose spun around and glared him straight in the eyes.

"Oh," Albus suddenly remembered, "a 'meeting'!"

"Yes, Albus! And I didn't know what to tell her," Rose went on. "I told her we were still trying to find a time when no one would notice we were gone, but that's only going to appease her for so long!"

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know! Something," Rose shook her head, "If Moaning Myrtle finds out we were lying to her, she might go tell a teacher about _that night_, and we'll be in worse trouble than we were to begin with!"

That possibility hadn't even crossed Albus' mind. The night of the Erkling, he was far too worried about being caught by Professor Vhartan to think too distantly into the future.

"So what do we do now?" he asked Rose, who seemed to be the only one who had thought this all through.

"Tonight," she whispered, just a few steps away from the door to the Transfiguration classroom, "the two of us will go down to the Slytherin dormitories and talk to Scorpius. Until then, just try to see if you can keep up with today's discussion on Switching Spells."

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Albus asked Rose as he followed her down the stairs. "Why would anyone want to live all the way down here?"

The dungeon level of the castle was creepy enough during the day. Albus couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be down here at night, much less sleep down here. As he and Rose made their way down the staircase, Albus found himself aware of even the faintest echoes and every flicker in the candlelight. His heart pounded beneath his school robes, and his eyes flicked in every direction like a reflex.

"Albus, you see the Slytherins come from the dungeons every morning," Rose argued, exasperated. "I think you're just looking for excuses not to be down here!"

Albus ground his teeth. Deep down in his psyche, Albus knew that Rose was probably right. He had been afraid of the dungeons ever since the first day he had been down their, and for good reason. When James came home for Christmas his first year at Hogwarts, he celebrated his first night home by waiting until their parents were asleep, and regaling him and Lily with what may have been the scariest story Albus had ever heard.

As they jump down the last few steps and crept further into the dungeons, Albus began to remember the entire story in vivid detail. Back during the Second War, when Voldemort controlled Hogwarts and everything else in Britain, the students suffered horribly. The Carrows thrived on the suffering of others, and would torture even the youngest students for the smallest of infractions. Dumbledore's Army tried to hold up their resistance and the teachers and even Headmaster Snape did everything they could to spare those around them from suffering, but they could not be everywhere at once.

James would go on to tell them about how when so many people suffer together for so long, something horrible happens. All that pain, all those screams, all that suffering, it turns into something ugly, something horrible. It becomes something as real as anything else that lives and breathes; and to make matters worse, it feeds in order to stay alive. It searches through people's minds, finding what made them truly afraid. When Albus asked if this was how Dementors were created, James shook his head solemnly. These were so much worse than Dementors, he told them. A Dementor could be destroyed, but there was no spell or charm that could wipe away a living manifestation of a memory. So as long as it could continue to feed, that manifestation would drift through the halls of Hogwarts, in the darkest corners, in the deepest dungeons: waiting, hungering.

Albus kept these thoughts to himself as Rose began pushing on various points of one of the damp stone walls, sometimes even pressing her ear to the wall like a safe cracker.

"The entrance to the Slytherin Common Room is supposed to behind on of these stone," she explained. "I'm not quiet sure where, but if it's behind the walls, we should be able to her something. A hollow, voices from the Common Room, anything."

Albus nodded, allowing his cousin to go back to her search while he stood silent and off to the side. Eventually, his gaze settled on one of the flickering candles that lined the damp hallway. How did a manifestation _feed_? He had heard his dad once talk about all the horrible things you would remember if you ever came near a Dementor. Even if this thing couldn't be destroyed the way a Dementor could, did it at least feed the same way? What would a manifestation of a tortured memory _look_ like anyway? Was it the kind of thing you could even see? Would there be a shriek or at least a chill in the air to warn them it was coming?

"Can we help you with something?"

Albus and Rose jumped simultaneously and turned around to be greeted with four dead-looking eyes, their two faces showed no signs of recognizable emotion. Other than a few blinks of quiet observation, there were no clues that they even registered the forms of those in front of them. Yet Albus felt his heart rate go back to normal. Whatever a tortured manifestation _did_ look like, he was certain it didn't look like the set of identical twins in front of him.

The two girls stood side by side, identical as bookends. They were alike in every aspect, from the creases in their school robes to their polished black shoes. Their dark hair tied back with lacy white ribbons, making their large, almost blank eyes even more noticeable. The Slytherin crests on their robes alone let anyone know that they belonged down there; and all the more obvious that Albus and Rose did not.

"Can I help you with something, ladies?" a drawling voice came from further down the corridor.

Coming from just behind the twins, was Scorpius Malfoy, his heavy book bag slung over his shoulder, loaded down with at least a dozen library books, all on the subject of Herbology. Albus could only guess that they were for the twelve-inch composition that was due three days from now.

"Hello, Scorpius," the two girls greeted him in monotone unison, soft smiles on each of their faces.

"Claudia, Cecilia," Scorpius greeted them dryly before shifting his gaze behind them to where Albus and Rose were waiting.

"Albus, Rose," Scorpius greeted them in that same tone, but almost sounding as though he had been expecting them to be there. "How nice to see you."

"Do you _know_ these two, Scorpius?" the girl on the left asked Scorpius in a disgusted tone, referring to Albus and Rose in the same way a person may refer to a squished cockroach.

"I don't see how that's any concern of yours, Claudia."

Claudia wrinkled her nose and flashed Scorpius with an irritated stare. It was the first time in the whole conversation that the two girls weren't identical. Even the other girl, Cecilia, seemed shocked.

"Why are they here then?" Cecilia tried.

"Again, none of your concern, ladies," Scorpius repeated himself.

So much for inter-house loyalties.

"Why don't you two go into the Common Room," Scorpius suggested to the two girls. "Albus and Rose did not come here to talk to you."

This time, the girls' faces held matching looks of annoyance. They didn't move from their spot, but Scorpius continued to stare them down, his eyes growing more intense with every moment he was made to wait. Even Albus felt himself begin to waver, even though Scorpius wasn't even looking at him. Eventually, the two girls _did_ cave under the pressure of the stare-down , and made the way together toward a certain stone, a good three feet away from where Rose had been looking for it.

"Severus," the twins said simultaneously, and the wall opened up to allow them into the Common Room.

Even after the Pucey girls were gone, there was a long moment of silence in the dungeon corridor. Albus squirmed where he stood, grinding his teeth and scratching at the sleeves of his robes, while Rose seemed to be treating the scene more or less like that of an academic observer, quietly watching the whole scene unfold with quiet cautiousness. Scorpius, however, was the only one of them who stood completely at ease. In fact, he even seemed annoyed, regarding the two visitors as uninvited company.

"Merlin, those Pucey girls give me the creeps!" Scorpius muttered, more to himself than to his company. "Is this important?" Scorpius turned to Albus and Rose and asked in a flat tone, as though he couldn't have cared whether or not the two of them were there, yet couldn't wait for them to leave either.

There was a certain level of unease among the three students. It certainly didn't seem like the kind of way that friends should behave around one another. But were they even friends? That still seemed to be unclear at the moment.

"Myrtle wants to have a meeting!" Albus blurted out before he knew what he was saying. He still couldn't help but feel somewhat intimidated by the early exchange between Scorpius and the Pucey twins.

Yet still, Scorpius refused to show any signs of stress or worry. "So what? We _all_ want things. I want a new racing broom for Christmas, and I also want pancakes for breakfast tomorrow. Excuse me if I'm not in that much of a hurry to-"

"She could go to a professor," Rose explained, as though Scorpius should have been able to figure this out for himself, "and then we'll be in trouble for being out of bed at night _and_ for lying about it."

_Now_ Scorpius was frightened. His face lost what little pale coloring it had and he began shaking where he stood. One hand reached up to grab at his own hair while the other hand's fingers tapped against his arms. His eyes held a deep look of panicked concentration, as though his mind were racing to come up with an idea; any idea.

"The Halloween Feast," Scorpius said finally, appearing to calm down as he spoke more and more. "It's going to happen this Friday. The entire school will be there, students and teachers both. That means that no one will be out in the corridors, and, moreover, no one to go looking for us."

"But what are we going to talk about?" Rose interjected. "She wants a meeting; we have to talk about _something_!"

"We started this whole ScoRA thing without even trying," Scorpius argued back. "Don't you think we could run our way through one little meeting if we put our minds to it? We have this one little meeting, we bide our time until we have decided that the school doesn't need us anymore, and we 'disbar'; get it?"

Rose seemed to pout at Scorpius answer gave her, as though the very sound of his reasoning annoyed her to no end; but Albus seemed to feel merely relieved at the materialization of Scorpius' plan. He had been worried about this whole "secret society" ever sense it had been accidentally formed; how they would keep any of their classmates from finding out, how they would keep Myrtle from going to the professors, and how they would be able to keep this thing together when the three of them were barely acquaintances. He would be glad to see it finally end.

"Well," Scorpius finally spoke up after yet another moment of awkward silence, "you two know how we're going to solve this. You can leave now; I have a composition I need to finish before the night is over."

Despite the relief that Albus felt from Scorpius' plan, he couldn't help feeling slightly confused over his behavior. The night of the Erkling, after nearly all being killed together, it almost seemed like they had regarded each other as friends. Yet here, talking in the corridors weeks after the incident, Scorpius seemed to be acknowledging them with even less warmth than he had that first day on the train. It was almost as though he were trying to forget what they had been through together.

"Um, Scorpius," Albus spoke up before he and Rose made their way towards the stairs, "Rose and I are just going to dinner. Do you want to come eat with us?"

"I don't think so," Scorpius answered without making eye contact, his gazed fixed on the stone that opened to the Slytherin Common Room. "Severus."

Once again, the stone wall shifted open, and Scorpius disappeared down into the Slytherin dormitories, leaving Albus and Rose to contemplate his behavior and their so-called friendship.

* * *

Black and orange banners, balloons, and candle-lit, floating pumpkins decorated the Great Hall the night of the Halloween Feast. A band made up of Hogwarts fifth-years played songs that no one knew the words to, and eventually became ignored. It was one of the biggest festivities of the year, and every student was there.

But at the Gryffindor, Albus Potter alternated between looking over his shoulder at the Slytherin table and peeking over heads to the Ravenclaw table. Scorpius sat as close to the floor as the first years were allowed, watching for anyone about to turn the corner into the Great Hall. Rose kept her eyes on the party as a whole, waiting for the first opportunity they had to sneak out. Albus, in the middle, acted as the messenger between the two of them; and a type of lookout himself…

James and Fred stared innocently down at their plates, every now and then glancing at each other and Roxanne a few seats down. They were staring to get anxious; it wouldn't be much longer now.

On a family trip to the United States, James and Fred learned that many teenagers celebrated the holiday by engaging in random acts of vandalism. A tradition that they celebrated to the fullest extent every year since they had been admitted to Hogwarts, and that Roxanne was now a full participant in. What also made the tradition something to be feared was that the planned prank was held under the strictest of confidence, so there was never any clue as to what it was going to be. At least not until the owl came from the headmaster.

_POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!_

One by one, the balloons in the Great Hall burst; the orange balloons splattering anyone near with pumpkin juice and the black ones splattering ink.

_POP! POP! POP! POP!_

Screams echoed through the Great Hall as the students and staff became stained and soaked. In a not so orderly fashion, every student pushed and shoved as they tried to the fight their way towards the door while the professor shouted futile orders for single files. This was the moment that Albus and the others had been waiting for; with every student the school running in a hundred different directions, no one would notice three first-years slip of to the girls' bathroom.

While the prefects ran in every direction searching for the scattered Gryffindors, Albus used the opportunity to sneak up the stairs, hidden among a group of Ravenclaw boys. The didn't notice him as he hid along side them, and didn't even noticed when he bolted off in the opposite direction.

On he finally reached the bathroom door, his hand rested briefly on the door handle as he took a deep, reassuring breath, trying to suppress his growing anxieties about the upcoming meeting. What exactly it was that he was afraid of, he had no idea. It all just seemed to be too easy, how they were going to put an end to this whole mess. When he finally felt somewhat relaxed, he shut his eyes and pushed the door open

"It's about time you showed up!" a sharp voice shrieked from behind him, causing him to nearly jump out of his robes.

Scorpius and rose were already waiting for them, Rose pacing across the stone floor. Floating just above the bathroom stalls was Moaning Myrtle, who seemed to be the most impatient one in the room.

"Sorry," Albus apologized; trying to remember the façade they had created that night before. "Let the first meeting of the Arcane ScoRA come to order!"


	6. Chapter 6 The Doxy Swarm

In this chapter, you will see the first Quidditch match of the year...and how "exciting" it is when you're just sitting there watching it.

* * *

Chapter 6  
The Doxy Swarm

"Please," Albus instructed to the small gathering before him, "everyone sit."

Scorpius and Rose looked to one another, as though searching for some clue of how to behave. But eventually, the two took their seats on the damp tile floor, eyes glancing upwards to watch Moaning Myrtle, making sure she remained convinced of the ruse.

"Okay," Albus began, first taking a deep breath to calm his rattled nerves. "So, an Erkling didn't just wander into the school by itself. How could it have gotten into the corridor?"

Rose and Scorpius remained silent, trusting themselves to meet each other's gaze. But the act had to keep going, so Albus ploughed onwards. It was starting to feel more like Albus was talking to himself rather than having a meeting.

"It's possible that Peeves let it in," Albus suggested, "as sort of a pre-Halloween prank; my cousins say that he pulls stunts like this near every year…it could've also been Fred and James behind this…"

"I don't think James and Fred would do something like _that,_" Rose spoke up suddenly. "They might be immature jerks, but I don't think they'd do something that could actually get people killed."

"And Peeves is a poltergeist, so he isn't really capable of using magic," Scorpius added. "Did either of you know that Erklings are only native to Germany, so that whoever did let that thing in would have had to transport it here?"

Albus shook his head slowly while Myrtle circled around their heads, listening intently to every word spoken.

"Or that the last reported Erkling attack on a human was in 1912, and that the German Ministry of Magic has been keeping tabs on their population ever since?"

Albus continued to shake his head, but he noticed Rose beginning to purse her lips together tightly. This had been a typical Rose expression, usually only brought out by Victoire or Dominique when they were younger, whenever Rose felt her intelligence was being insulted. It wasn't a very hard thing to do, to make Rose feel insulted, but the condescending tone Scorpius used as he spoke would have been enough to get to even the most level-headed person.

"And a person would have to collect a large amount of Chizpurfles and bring them all together for an infestation as huge as the one we had that day in Potions," Scorpius took his turn to speak. "Maybe whoever was responsible for the Erkling is the same person who collected all those pests."

"Wait, go back," Rose stopped him. "What happened in your Potions class?"

In a bored, drawling tone, Scorpius recounted the events of the day's Potions lesson, thankfully leaving out the fight between Albus and himself.

"You didn't know?" Albus asked, noticing that the conversation was begin to lose the rehearsed feel it had started with and had begun to sound like a real exchange of words.

"No!" Rose exclaimed, shocked. "Nobody in Ravenclaw has been talking about it. And if there's gossip to be heard, it's the girls in my House who will be saying it."

"Well, think about it," Scorpius said. "The other Houses don't talk to each other as is, and all the years pretty much keep to themselves…"

"And other first and fourth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins all take Potions together anyway," Albus expanded, "so the only way anyone else would know is if the teachers had told them."

"Why would they?" Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Chizpurfles go after potion ingredients; it's what they do. Don't you remember the awful infestation that Grandma Weasley's place had a few years ago, Rosie?"

"An infestation is one thing, Albus," Scorpius interrupted, "but you were there. What happened that day was not normal. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of those things in there. It was a carpet of them, for Merlin's sake! Even Professor Vhartan was freaked out; what does that tell you?"

"Chizpurfles by themselves aren't out of the ordinary," Rose agreed "But I've been listening in on the Care of Magical Creatures N.E.W.T. students for ages now. I'm learning pretty much everything there is to know about magical creatures, and-"

Albus stopped listening to Rose's words and instead chose to watch her and Scorpius' banter. Rose's hands were moving animatedly and Scorpius remaining still and composed. Rose seemed to be becoming more and more excited the longer she spoke, but Scorpius just kept shaking his head at the end of her every sentence and keeping his tone flat. Whatever their conversation was, it was anything but fake. Almost as though they had forgotten this whole 'Arcane ScoRA' business was all a stunt to keep Moaning Myrtle from running to the teachers.

"Either one of these incidents by themselves _could_ be passed off as random." Albus finally started paying attention to Rose's actual words again. "But the two of them occurring within barely a week of each other…I smell a rat."

"You _smell_ a conspiracy, Weasley," Scorpius snapped back. "You've spent your entire life hearing your parents and your relatives talk about their days of saving the world, so you've learn to see a plot in every little bump in the night."

"Isn't that what the Arcane ScoRA exists for, _Malfoy_?" Rose answered. "To make sure the bumps in the night really are just bumps in the night?"

"There is n-"

Scorpius was able to stop himself from finishing his sentence just in the nick of time.

He finally settled on, "You can't prove it is!"

"And you can't prove it isn't!"

Albus could have warned Scorpius that there was no out-arguing Rose Weasley, but it looked as though he was learning that lesson on his own.

What was shocking Albus the most, though, was how their imaginary society had begun to take on a mind and will of its own. Certainly Scorpius still though of it as only a means to keep from being expelled, but Albus could tell that it was already becoming something much more to Rose. It was almost as though it were becoming more of a means of carrying on a legacy. And if that was the case, then it was Albus' legacy too.

"We're not going to be moving on from this point tonight," Scorpius said in a resigned tone, relaxing his previously stiff posture. "We should go back to bed."

Without another word, Scorpius pushed himself up off the floor. He didn't make a move for the door, though, he just seemed more interested in getting away from Rose and her ideas of a conspiracy.

"So what do we do?" Albus turned to his cousin.

"We wait to be proven," she answered. "Right or wrong."

* * *

The three students stood together in silence for the remainder of their time together, barely looking at one another. Albus shuffled his feet against the tile floor, but nearly felt his heart jump out of his chest when Moaning Myrtle rose up through the floor, not three inches from the end of his shoes.

"It's clear on the way to Slytherin," she informed him, after waiting for Albus to catch his breath.

"Alright, Scorpius," Rose said with a slight push against his shoulder. "Go!"

Scorpius stumbled, but took the time to glare at Rose, who only glared right back, before racing out the door. Albus could hear Scorpius' footsteps tread softly at first, but then become louder and less weary the further away he got.

"I didn't see anyone around Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Myrtle informed Albus and Rose once they felt Scorpius had had enough time to get away. "But I can check again if you're worried."

"We're fine," Rose answered shortly, grabbing Albus by the arm and dragging him towards the door. "We're set. Thank you for all your help, Myrtle."

And with that, still dragging Albus by the sleeve of his robes like a ragdoll, she led him down the corridor, not nearly as carefully as they had been when they had first snuck to the bathroom. At first, Albus believed it to be out of desire to get back to her dormitory before getting caught. But the further away from Myrtle's bathroom the two of them got, the more Rose's previous excitement began to return.

"I can't believe all this! Can you, Albus?" She spoke at a near-rabid pace. "I mean, before we left for school, my dad sat me down and told me all about how you and I were going to have the normal, boring school years that everyone is supposed to have, and that how he, my mum, and all our aunt and uncles were never going to know what that was like. But now—now were going to-"

Albus barely listened to his cousin speak. She was going so fast that he could tell if her fast tone was coming from excitement or from worry. The two seemed to coincide in the mind of Rose Weasley. And when they did, Rose became this strange new creature who needed to speak the way other people needed to breathe. It was almost like a grease fire in a way; it could not be put out, one simply had to let it burn itself out.

"Albus, Rose," a familiar voice in an unfamiliarly harsh, authoritative tone called out to them. "Where have you two been?"

Of course, sometimes an outside force, if it proved strong enough, could prove enough to stop these bouts of rambling speech.

Albus and Rose both cringed, but the simultaneous action did not stop the two of them from being spun around and brought face to face with the furious glare of Victoire Weasley. At home or at any other Weasley family gathering, Victoire was no force to be reckoned with, as rare as her wrath might be. But here at Hogwarts, were she was Head Girl and held real authority over the lives of her younger cousins, the very thought made a chill go through Albus' soul.

Towering from a height much greater than Albus had recalled from before, Victoire stood above the two younger children with her arms crossed in front of her and a stone-cold quality in her clear blue eyes.

"I suppose there will be a wonderful story behind this," Victoire said, her voice low and deadly sounding, "and I'm certain that James and Fred have made sure you are both very well rehearsed."

"You're too hard on those two," a kinder, but still wary voice spoke up from behind Victoire. "If a phoenix died in flight and crashed through one of the Great Hall windows, you would somehow find a way for it to be Fred and James' fault."

Albus had never seen the girl standing behind his cousin before, but James' letters home gave him a fairly good idea of who she was. This was Theresa Fatone, a Hufflepuff seventh year who had been Victore's best friend since their first year. She was a heavy-set girl who was far from being lovely in the sense that Albus' cousin was. Albus knew it was horrible to think such things about a person, but he couldn't help it if they were true.

"Did you honestly believe I wouldn't notice if the two of you didn't show up to one of the biggest feasts of the year?"

Victoire's shrill, angry voice brought Albus out of his own thoughts and back to the deep pit of trouble he and Rose were now in.

"Since you two are my family, I'll make this simple for you," Victoire informed them sternly. "I'm going to give you till the count of three to tell me who you're wandering the halls this late at night. One…"

Albus didn't move. He felt a little nervous, testing his older cousin's authority like this, but Rose stood behind him, strong and steady. And if it ever did come down to a fight between the two girls, Albus was confident that Rose would walk away victorious with a fistful of veela-witch hair to prove it.

"Two…"

Still, neither of the children moved. Albus shuffled his feet and Rose stuck out her chin defiantly, as though she were daring Victoire to do her worst.

"Two and a half…"

"Some Head Girl you are, Weasley," came a sneer at the end of the corridor.

Albus had to strain his eyesight to see into the shadows and the figure of the voice's owner that lurked there: her hair and eyes were so black that she could have easily stay hidden in the shadows for hours, had she made no sound. But as she sauntered out into the light, she could no longer be described as anything other than outstanding. She was quite lovely, her dark beauty nearly rivaling Victoire's veela inheritance.

"Can't find it in your own abilities to bring first-years to a Halloween party?" she went on. "How poor of a leader do you have to be to lure children away from caramel apples and candy corn?"

A momentary glance away from Victoire brought the girls attention downwards towards Albus. A sly sort of smile spread across her face, the kind of smile Albus was certain the foxes in fairy tales took on just before they ate the adorable little animal.

"Well, aren't you the cute one." She smiled that same smile as she ran a cold hand across Albus' cheek. "My name is Jocelyn. Can you tell me your name?"

Even though this girl's, Jocelyn's, words bayed him to talk, the intense gaze in her pitch-black eyes held his voice captive in his throat. From the small smile that appeared across her lips, Albus could tell that she knew what was happening, she was even enjoying it. This girl was like a mean child who would set a fairy free only to capture it again after it had only flown a few feet.

"Aw, too shy to talk?" she cooed in a voice dripping with sweet venom. "_You_ are even more adorable than I thought.

"Or maybe you just let the little yappy one do all your talking for you?" she pondered aloud, casting Rose with same disgusted look one might have towards a crushed beetle.

"Can't even keep your own relatives in line?" Jocelyn asked, turning her attention to Victoire. "I don't know what the professors were thinking when they thought you capable of being responsible for the whole school."

"This doesn't concern you, Dale!"

Jocelyn clucked her tone in disapproval. "Now, Victoire, as seventh-years in positions of power, don't you think it is our duty to be civil towards one another? You'll set a bad example for the children."

Jocelyn's dark eyes flicked down to the red and gold badge on Victoire's chest and then back up to look her in the eyes.

"I would have thought that Head Girl badge you're so proud of actually meant something to you."

"At least Victoire's badge actually means something!" Theresa spoke up, though still lingering back behind her friend.

Like a provoked snake, Jocelyn snapped her gaze across to Theresa. Albus expected her to be angry, but instead, her expression was almost happy. As though responding to Theresa was what she had wanted all along and had simply been waiting for an excuse.

She took her time answering, twisting a long, black strand of hair through her dexterous fingers, "Yes, and I'm going to take popularity advice from Theresa _Fat-One_." She spoke in that Slytherin drawl that all its members seemed to be capable of. "You know, there are a couple of Chasers on my team that pal around with a girl a lot like you, Fat-One. They call her their 'boost', because whenever the boys see her, everyone else seems so much more beautiful and interesting by comparison."

Once she was confident that Theresa had been beaten down, she turned her attentions back to Victoire.

"What I've never been able to figure is why, Victoire 'The Veela' Weasley, Hogwarts' favorite half-breed, would even need a 'boost' friend."

Theresa slinked back, almost like a whipped puppy, but Victoire's reaction was one of blazing rage; turning the famous Weasley red featured both in their hair and their tempers.

"Twenty points from Slytherin, Dale!"

Even in the face of Victoire's anger, Jocelyn didn't so much as flinch.

"Ouch," she drawled. "That hurt, Weasley."

"I'd better go," Jocelyn said, slinking her way towards the Slytherin dungeons. "I must get back to the dormitories before the Slytherin first-years start causing as much trouble as the Gryffindors."

But before lurking back into the darkness, she ran her hand across Albus' unruly mop of black hair.

"Bye-bye, cutie pie," she drawled, ruffling Albus' already messy hair as she passed.

And so, the sweet venom girl known as Jocelyn Dale, disappeared down the dungeon staircase and back into the shadows. Albus had noticed before that the staircase had a terrible echo. This sound soon surfaced once again in the form of what sounded like a dragged out scream at a decibel too low to have been authentic.

"Did that girl just _howl_?" exclaimed Rose, looking ready to storm down the dungeon stairs after the noise.

"We're leaving, Rose!" Victoire told her cousin, grabbing her roughly by the back of her robes and dragging Rose behind her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Victoire," Theresa called out to them before she faded from sight, down towards the Hufflepuff common room.

Rose stumbled as she struggled to keep up with their older cousin while at the same time walking backwards. Albus could understand why Victoire was so angry and how Jocelyn knew such a random action would infuriate her so. Victoire's dad, their uncle Bill, suffered from lycathropy, not enough so that he would become a werewolf at every full moon, but he did have an unusual taste for rare steaks and an extremely strong sense of smell, along with the unusual ability to bond with any canine that came their way. His face was also horribly scarred from the encounter with the werewolf that had given him the disease, not something that could be as easily overlooked as some of his other symptoms.

Not only that, but it also happened to be common knowledge that Victoire had been seeing Teddy Lupin ever since her fourth year, whose father actually _had_ been a werewolf. This, possibly, was the reason that Victoire's anger was always on breaking point – she constantly had to put up with the taunting of her fellow students.

"Here's your door, Rose," Victoire said through clenched teeth, as though it were taking all her willpower not to scream. Violently, she threw Rose out of her tight grip, nearly hurling the redheaded girl against the wall. But although she stumbled, Rose finally steadied herself just in time to meet with the knocker for the riddle that would allow her into her common room.

"_Mountains will crumble and temples will fall, and no man can survive its endless call_," the bronze knocker spoke. "_What is it?_"

"Time," Rose answered effortlessly.

"_Correct,_" the knocker answered, opening the door for her.

"Life gets complicated when you get old, doesn't it, Victoire?" Albus asked his older cousin once Rose was gone.

"Yes, it does, Albus," she answered. But Albus knew they were thinking of very different things.

* * *

_Thump, thump, thump…_

Albus opened his eyes a crack and glanced around the room. Everything was still and, for the most part, quiet. To his left, Damien slept with his arm tossed over his head, and to his right, Simon snored at a volume that Albus had usually been able to ignore. But clearly, no one in the room was awake this early on a Saturday morning. Thoroughly convinced of this reasoning, Albus shut his eyes and tried to drift back to sleep.

"Get the lead out of your shoes, Potter!"

"I'm moving as fast as I can, Corner!"

These shouts gave way to more shouting from other unseen owners of voices, giving no signal of stopping or weakening. Giving up on returning to the place of sleep, Albus kicked the covers back and pulled himself out of bed. His bare feet made no sound as he made his way across the floor, not one of his roommates stirring as he left.

Once at the bottom of the staircase, a racing sea of crimson robes rushed back and forth, shouting advice and insults at each other. Even though it was a spectacle Albus had never seen before, he needed no one to tell him what it was: the Gryffindor Quidditch team, up before everyone else in the school preparing for the first match of the year. Albus had nearly forgotten all about it, despite the fact that the entire house had been buzzing about it for weeks. He had had much bigger things on his mind.

"What going on?" Albus called over the collective noise of the team.

"Get lost, runt!" James shouted as he tied his boots, although he didn't even bother to look at his younger brother.

"Potter!" a taller fifth year girl with a short, pixie haircut scolded, whacking James on the back of the head. "Don't talk to your little brother like that!

"We're sorry we woke you up, Albus." The girl's voice became a lot more gentle. "We're just doing some last minutes drills before the match this afternoon. You can go back to bed."

"No, no, Albus." Roxannne stood up and stopped him before he could even turn to start back up the stairs. "If you go back to bed, you'll never get to the game early enough to get good seats. First match of the season, not to mention Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, it's going to draw a huge crowd."

"Albus is still in his first year, Tracy," Louis, a Chaser, just like Roxanne, spoke up. "So he doesn't know these things yet."

"Oh, my little brother is a first-year too," the team captain, Tracy remarked. "Eli Corner in Ravenclaw; do you know him?"

"I'm sorry," Albus apologized for not recognizing the name. "I don't know him."

"Hmm, Eli's always been a shy little thing. I guess that's why he's not in Gryffindor," Tracy mused as she gathered up some idle Quidditch equipment. "But you make sure you stop by the Ravenclaw stand and have your cousin introduce you."

Albus nodded, even though silently he told himself he was too old for 'play dates'. But this girl had gotten James to back off of him before any real abuse started, so he told himself he would be polite.

"When is Dugan going to be getting his last bones out of bed?" Roxanne remarked suddenly.

"Maddox isn't going to be playing today," Tracy grumbled, her mood shifting suddenly. "Mr. Dugan just _had_ to mouth off to the captain of the Slytherin team in plain view of Professor Hardarse, so he's out of the game for the day."

"He called her a Blast-ended Skank!" Fred snickered, causing James and every other boy on the team to laugh under their breath.

"That's right, Fred Weasley! You just laugh it up!" Tracy shouted at her team Beater. "It is absolutely hilarious that we lost our team's Keeper and now we have to dip into the reserve pool for a replacement!

"I'll tell you what, though, Albus." Tracy stopped herself before leading the team out of the common room. "Before you go to meet up with your friends, why don't you come down on the field with the team?"

"Okay," Albus answered, not telling Tracy that he didn't play Quidditch, and hadn't even decided if he would be going to the match today. He could hardly refuse to go now, though.

"Great," she remarked happily. "We'd better get a move on. And, Albus, you go back upstairs and try to get some more sleep. Despite what your cousin says, even the earliest arrivals will not be choosing their seats for hours. You'll have time to get a few moments rest."

"Yes," James followed in a mocking tone, "we wouldn't want ickie Albie-kins to be all sweepy and cwanky for his vewy first Quidditch game."

"POTTER!" came a loud yell from Tracy on the stairs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Once James was gone, Albus found himself smiling. He was beginning to really like this Tracy girl.

* * *

Albus, once back in bed, watched the sky shift through brilliant shades of scarlet, orange, and pink and the shadows shift across the room before he finally decided he wouldn't be falling back to sleep. Making his way gingerly across the stone floor, he pulled on the clothes from the night before, as well as shucking his winter cloak and wrapping his scarlet and gold scarf tightly around him to guard against the early November chill.

Albus left the boys' dormitory and eventually the Gryffindor tower, finding himself walking into a scene he never believed he would ever see: a silent Hogwarts. Save for the occasional prefect, and Nearly-Headless Nick muttering some bitter rant that Albus could not distinguish. The corridors were completely empty; so quiet, Albus was sure he could hear the tiny feet of mice racing across the floor above him.

The early morning dew soaked into the leather of his shoes. The warmth of the sun had yet to grace the school grounds, Albus noted, hugging his cloak tightly around him. Despite all this, it felt wonderful to be outside. The air was delightfully crisp and the soft scent of fresh grass lingered on it. The still rising sun left the outside world in a glow that no form of magic could ever bring inside the dreary castle walls.

Etched into the Hogwarts skyline, the Quidditch stadium was a most impressive construction. Tall, pillared stands offered the spectators a magnificent aerial view that rivaled some professional stadiums (at least according to his mother). The goal posts stood at near eye level with the seats, forcing the players to compete dozens of feet above the ground. The idea of it made Albus queasy, but according both his parents, there was no greater rush in all the world. And James had taken the liberty of adding that whenever a player _fell_ from their broom, it was nearly as entertaining to the spectators as watching the game itself. He made sure to emphasize this point with a dramatic fall to the living room floor which their mother didn't find amusing, but that Albus had heard their father snicker at behind his hand.

Even before entering the stadium, Albus could make out the flashes of scarlet that were the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Louis and Roxanne practiced some sort of agility drill, racing over and under one another in complicated loops. Fred and the other Beater, a girl with hair tied back painfully tight, smacked a Muggle football back and forth, caught in some game where the two tried desperately to keep the ball from losing any altitude.

Another girl whom Albus was not familiar with flew lazy laps around the Gryffindor goal. She must have been the reserve Keeper that Tracy had been talking about in the common room. As Albus watched, he began to notice that the girl's slow pace didn't stem from a lack of energy, but from pure effort to stay on her broom. Several times, Albus watched the girl shake, shriek, and then clutch at her broom with both hands while on the verge of crying. No wonder Tracy wasn't happy!

It wasn't until Albus got inside, though, that he finally did find Tracy practicing with his brother. From the deep gulps of breath James was already taking, it was a clearly a brutal session; no doubt Tracy's idea of punishing James for this morning's behavior, which Albus had come to see as normal interaction between the two of them. What the drill entailed of Tracy tossing three Muggle golf balls into the air at a time and James having to catch every single one of them before gravity took effect and they began plummeting back to the turf. And from the frantic way James raced to catch them, Albus didn't feel he wanted to know what his brother would be forced to do if he missed any of them.

The damp earth squished under Albus' shoes, causing Tracy to turn in the direction of the noise.

"Potter, take five!" Tracy ordered before making her way over to Albus, who watched his brother simply drop to the ground, making no attempt to get up.

"Albus," she greeted him with a jovial tone, "I'm glad you made it; and so early too. You must really be stoked for the match today."

Albus nodded in a distracted sort of way, his eyes moving past Tracy to look at his brother, who still hadn't gotten up off the ground. Despite everything James had ever done to him in his short life, he still hoped his older brother wasn't dead. There was nothing like a dead sibling to ruin the Christmas holidays.

"Oh, don't worry about him," Tracy assured him. "Your brother is a bit of a drama queen."

To illustrate this, Tracy made her way towards James with Albus following closely at her heels. When she reached his side, Tracy expressed her sympathies for James Potter in the form of a swift kick to his side.

"Suck it up, Potter," Tracy said sternly as James groaned. "On your feet before I put your little brother on your broom and let _him_ Seek for the game."

Although reluctant, those words were what it finally took to get James up off the turf and onto his feet. He glared at his younger brother, knowing that Albus was at least partially responsible for Tracy's treatment of him. Albus couldn't help but answer with a smirk. Tracy Corner seemed to be one of those people with the rare ability to make James do as he was told. To make things even better, she had taken an instant liking to Albus. Even though he had no idea of what he had done to earn such fast favor with the Gryffindor captain, he did know that he would be using every ounce of it to his full advantage.

"Not bad, eh?" Tracy remarked, gesturing up towards the practicing players of the team. "Do you have a favorite position?"

Albus shook his head no. He knew Tracy had meant his favorite position to play, and he didn't have one, mostly because he didn't care for _playing_ Quidditch as much as he did for watching it. He did love the game, though. From even before he could remember, Albus' whole family had followed the professional Quidditch season, taking advantage of his mother's special privileges as a member of the press and former Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies.

Guiltily, Albus admitted to himself that he had not been fully honest with Rose and Scorpius about his inability to fly on the night of the Erkling attack. With parents as heavily involved with the game of Quidditch as Harry and Ginny Potter, they would never have allowed one of their children to go through life without learning how to ride a broom.

Though Albus did seem to get passed over on a few things that his parents had paid more attention to with James and Lily, flying lessons being one of them. His Grandma Weasley called it the middle child syndrome. James had gotten a toy broom for his first birthday, but one windy day, after he fell off of the broom and into one of the neighbor's swimming pool, nearly drowning, his mother declared that all the Potter children were going to learn how to walk, swim, and tuck-and-roll before they would be allowed on a broom. Still, after Albus had learned to do all these things, his mum was still wary of allowing Albus anywhere near a broom; (though his dad still snuck him out for rides on his old Firebolt whenever he thought they could get away with it). The only reason Lily had learned to fly was because one day, the two-year-old toddler hand wandered into the garden shed, found James' old toy broom, and began racing laps around the yard before their mother could wake up and stop her.

Somehow, though, because his brother and sister had both learned to fly on their own, the family had just never gotten around to teaching him.

"Well, you'd better make up your mind soon," Tracy told him. "You'll be old enough for Quidditch trials before you know it, and I'm going to be losing a fair amount of players in the coming years."

Before Albus could repeat all his previous thoughts aloud for the Gryffindor captain, a velvety voice interrupted, "Scrounging through the talent pool already, Corner?"

Albus recognized the source of the voice, and apparently, so did Tracy: she had her expression changed to one of animosity and annoyance.

"At least Gryffindor _has_ a talent pool, Dale," she remarked without even turning around. "I saw that inbred little gaggle of first-years you had coming into your House at the feast."

Tracy spun around, and like her little shadow, Albus did too. Standing before them was a group of seven emerald-robed figures, brooms in hands and smirks on faces. And towering above them all, the same captain's badge that Albus had seen the night before gleaming on her chest, was Jocelyn Dale.

"Oh, look who it is," she remarked coyly, stepping away from the group. "Little cutie-pie Potter!"

Just like the night before, she reached out to stroke his hair, like he was a puppy. The older girl's touch was slowly becoming one that made his skin crawl

"I might have thought you'd be drawn to this little doll, Corner," Jocelyn said as she returned her hand to her side. "I know I certainly was."

Albus retreated closer to Tracy, again behaving like the puppy Jocelyn seemed to believe he was.

"Too bad not enough of his ancestors were brother and sister," Tracy shot back. "Then maybe he would have ended up wearing green."

Jocelyn didn't laugh this time. This time she glared, an acid glare that could have pushed any first year to the point of tears. It even seemed to scare a few of her fellow teammates.

"Go to hell, Corner," she hissed.

"After you," Tracy answered back.

Not being the type to slink away, Jocelyn led the rest of her team up into the air and began working them through their drills, shouting abuses and profanities, at least, that's what Albus believed the muffled sounds to be, anyway. It was hard to tell from so far down on the ground.

"Oh, this is going to be quite a show," Tracy said in a hushed tone, as she watched the furious Slytherin captain.

* * *

Standing opposite one another, ruby and emerald, the two Quidditch teams faced off against one another. The Gryffindor seats were filled with screaming fans, the first-years taking up most of the front ones. Damien Towler's face was covered with red and gold paint, and Leo Edwin and Gavin Foss shouted at the top of their lungs, louder than anyone else in the stands. The first-year girls all leaned over the edge, displaying a very large 'Go, Go Gryffindor' banner.

Next to the Gryffindor seats, in the Slytherin stands, Albus could make out the shape of Scorpius Malfoy in the left corner of the box. There was no paint on his face and no flags in his hand, but he was cheering for his house team just as vigorously as anyone else.

A sudden hand grabbing at his shoulder caused Albus to jump out of acquired reflex, even though he could see Fred and James on the field right in front of him. But when he turned around, he was still shocked by what he saw: Rose Weasley out of the castle, no Gryffindor pride gear, but with her blue-and-bronze Ravenclaw scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Hey, Albus!" She smiled brightly at their cousin. "How long until the game starts?"

"Um," Albus muttered, still shocked to actually see his cousin, "just a few minutes, I think."

Rose nodded and elbowed her way up to the front to stand in between Riley St. John and Jodie Canning.

"Let's go, Gryffindor!" Rose shouted out onto the stadium. "Let's win this!"

Most of Albus' cousins were on the Quidditch field, but when he turned, he could see Victoire, Dominique, Molly, and Lucy standing towards the back in just as much shock as Albus had been in. It would appear the Rose's self-pitying mood was officially over. Rose Weasley was now a happy member of Ravenclaw house, but at the same time, had no problem associating with her all-Gryffindor family.

"Welcome one and all," came a booming voice from the announcer's box. "I am Kiki Powell, proud Ravenclaw and your very own Quidditch announcer. It is a lovely day, and I personally don't feel we could have asked for a more perfect day for the Hogwarts opening match.

The gathering crowd cheered loudly in agreement.

"Madam Wood has asked me to remind the players to make sure that this stays a clean game and that the fans remember to keep their emotions in check. Speak of the devil, here comes Madam Wood onto the field now, with the game balls in hand."

A collective set of eyes moved downwards, towards the centerline of the field where Madame Wood stood with a leather trunk under one arm. She set it down onto the turf, released one of the straps, and unhooked the latch, releasing the first ball.

"There goes the Snitch…"

Albus watched as both his brother and Jocelyn Dale focused their eyes on the golden, winged ball. Madam Wood then reached down and released two more straps.

"…And the Bludgers…"

Finally, Madam Wood powerfully tossed one last ball into the air.

"The Quaffle is in play…"

A loud whistle blew a shrieking blast that could be heard even above the screams of the crowd.

"…And the game has begun!"

Tracy Corner and one of the Slytherin Chasers raced forwards to grab the Quaffle while other players darted around them.

"And Tracy Corner of Gryffindor intercepts the Quaffle for an early lead for Gryffindor. Just look at her go! _Someone_ has been training over the summer. You know what else she's been doing this summer? Word has it that she spent _two weeks_ in Paul Harris' family summer house where they stay every year at the _exact same time _!"

"Kiki's such an awful gossip," Rose whispered into Albus' ear. "It's all she ever does whenever she's in the common room."

"Roxanne Weasley makes an underhand pass to Louis Weasley who throws to Corner – OH! Intercepted by Marie Barton of Slytherin! That has to be a low blow to the Gryffindor team captain. Barton passes to Toby Danes, who is now making a beeline for the goal. With Maddox Dugan out of commission for today's game, it looks like Slytherin is looking to take the Gryffindor team out hard and fast – but wait, Corner redeems herself and steals the Quaffle back. Back towards the Slytherin goal. Oh, no! That Bludger's right about to – Never mind, Fred Weasley smacks that baby clear into the stratosphere! Fred Weasley is showing excellent form this year, and the Weasley family Quidditch legacy is still living up to its name. Speaking of family names, let's see if we can find Seeker James Potter...James Potter…James Potter…Nope, no sign of him right now, people. Let's get back to the midfield action. Tracy Corner flies for the goal – Wendy Crawford of Slytherin comes in from the side to intercept – but Corner passes back to Roxanne Weasley. Roxanne Weasley flies for the goal, throws it right for Keeper Lucus Taylor's head…GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

Loud cheers erupted from the Gryffindor stand, and groans from the Slytherin stands next to them. Hanging over the side of the stands, was a familiar-looking Slytherin with pale blond hair looking as though he were contemplating throwing himself over the edge.

"Chaser Barton takes position of the Quaffle," Kiki Powell shouted over the crowd. "But Chaser Corner is right on her tail – she's almost there…I think she's going to – OH, MERLIN! WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT?"

Albus looked up along with the rest of the crowd to see what was exciting enough to catch the Quidditch announcer's attention. A large, cloud-like mass had begun to descend onto the field. It buzzed and began to spread off in all directions. The closer it got to the stands, the more Albus began to notice the individual, shiny bodies that made up the mass. Soon, the individual forms began to swoop in on the students, screeching as they got caught in the long hair of girls and squeaking as they were trampled under the feet of boys.

"Players off the field!" Madame Wood shouted, her voice magnified by a voice-enhancing charm as she attempted to fire her wand at the flying pests that rushed all around her. "Players off the field! Spectators, too! We have a Doxy swarm!" Everyone off the field."

With dozens of hands swatting over their heads, the Gryffindor students made their way towards the staircase in the fashion of a rehearsed fire drill. But still, the Doxies swarmed down to bite at the students, bright purple welts rising on the exposed skin of those who ran out in front of Albus. Worried, he pulled his cloak up over his head, barely leaving enough room to see through. He knew that Doxy bites were poisonous, not to mention horrifically painful, and he had no intention of going through whatever painful antidote it took to cure a Doxy bite.

The first-years, being the ones furthest away from the exits, were the ones the Doxies invested the most time in attacking. Damien's red and gold face was soon mixed with purple as the Doxies were drawn to the bright colors. The girls all screeched as several of the little creatures swooped down on them and half of them ended up tangled in their hair, biting at their ears.

Older students remained at the exit way, rushing the students, one by one, out of the stadium. By the time Albus and Rose reached the door, they were more or less shove down the stairs and the older students raced to get away from the swarm themselves. Suddenly, at the bottom of the first staircase, Albus couldn't go forward any further. A hand held him back, gripped by his hood.

Albus, down!" Rose ordered as she yanked him down to the floor while dozens of feet passed over him.

"Rose, what are you thinking?" Albus hissed under his breath, just in case Doxies responded to human voices.

"We have to get rid of them!" Rose insisted as though the reason were obvious.

"And how do you propose that?"

Before Rose could answer, the clicking buzz of flapping wings became louder. At the top of the staircase, Albus could vaguely make out the black bodies that they had been running from. They didn't appear to see them at first. At least they didn't until Albus decided on impulse to throw his cloak at the gathering. Now they saw exactly where they were, and Albus had just offered them a plethora of new places where he could be bitten.

"Rose…" he said warily, shuffling backwards until his back was against the wall until there was nowhere else to run.

Without answering, Rose stood to her feet, pulling her wand from her robe pocket and pointed up out one of the small windows and towards the sky with definite purpose.

"_Adsector Lux_!" Rose screamed as she pointed her wand toward the sky.

An orange, neon-like beam shot from her wand and the light blazed a trail through the sky and soared into the Forbidden Forest. The Doxies flew upward and followed the trailing light as fast as they could.

_Where is my cousin learning all these charms?"_ Albus thought to himself as the Doxies disappeared out of sight.

Rose watched the Doxies race off into the horizon with a triumphant look on her face

"The Arcane ScoRA still lives," Rose whispered before the two of them followed the other Gryffindors down the stairs.

* * *

The infirmary was crammed from wall to wall, green robes to the left, and red to the right, with the elderly Madam Pomfrey running herself ragged between the two. The bite marks on Jocelyn's face had begun to turn purple, and she was screaming about how they burned. James lay in a cot at the far end, but with a very satisfied smile on his face. As Albus had learned from the Gryffindor fans crowding around the hospital wing while he had been out of the stadium, following after Rose and the other Gryffindors, James had spotted the Snitch through the cloud of swarming Doxies.

Ignoring Madame Wood's orders to dismount their brooms and evacuate, James had flown and towards the golden target. Reaching out and leaning forwards on his broom, James had grabbed the Snitch out of the sky, only to have the small bit of exposed skin on his wrist painfully bitten, the shock of it causing him to fall from his broom. He had to be carried off the field by the less-than-thrilled Slytherin Beater, the Snitch still struggling in his fist.

According to Madam Pomfrey, James had actually been hurt worse from the fall than from the Doxy bite that had caused it. And because Kiki was still in the announcer's box at the time and had seen the whole thing, Gryffindor had been declared the winners. So in James' mind, having an arm that was broken in three places was a small price to pay for victory over the Slytherins.

While the students either celebrated victory or anguished over defeat, the teachers rushed in and out of the hospital wing, taking tallies of all the injured and whispering to each other in panicked, hushed tones.

Albus and Rose stayed in the Gryffindor side of the Hospital Wing, seated on Roxanne's bed. Roxanne had a rather nasty bite on her left forearm, the resulting welt swollen and discolored, but otherwise, their cousin was perfectly fine. Aside from Roxanne and James, no one on the Gryffindor team had been seriously hurt. Fred had taken a Bludger to the stomach when he wasn't paying attention and Tracy had miscalculated her landing and gotten a few scrapes when she fell from her broom, but neither of them were in hospital beds. Madame Pomfrey made sure to stress how lucky they all were.

"Jocelyn!" a familiar voice shouted from the doorway.

Rose and Albus looked up just in time to see Scorpius race across the infirmary, right to the bedside of Jocelyn Dale. A look of frantic worry appeared on his face which seemed completely out of character for the cool and collected Scorpius Malfoy Albus had come to know.

"Jocelyn, are you okay? Do you want me to write to Aunt Daphne and Uncle Richard?"

"No, Scorpius," Jocelyn assured him, running her hand through his hair much the same way she had done with Albus. "Don't you worry about me. I'm fine, really."

"If you want to worry about something, worry about her pride!"

Albus shifted his eyes back to the Gryffindors. James, propped up against the pillows of his bed, had noticed Jocelyn's visitor and decided now was the perfect time to add insult to injury.

"A real Seeker never leaves the Snitch flying in the air."

Jocelyn, wincing from the pain of her welts, pushed herself up so she could look James dead in the eye with that cold Slytherin gaze of hers. Scorpius held tight to her shoulder, as though not sure what else he could do.

"Don't you dare get cocky, Potter!" Jocelyn shouted back. "No Seeker is capable of anticipating a freak Doxy swarm!"

"Excuses, excuses…"

Rose and Albus pushed themselves off Roxanne's bedside, leaving the two team Seekers to sort out their little catfight. Scorpius remained with the other Slytherins, resting on the same bedside.

"Scorpius," Rose hissed in a hushed tone to get his attention, gesturing from the open door.

Finally, she was able to get Scorpius' attention, and he followed her and Albus out into the corridor. His eyes, though, remained on the worried members of his own house, who raced back and forth between each of the emerald and silver figure on the cots, groaning in pain.

"How do you know Jocelyn Dale?" Rose asked once they were away from the crowd.

"She's my cousin," Scorpius explained. "Her mother and my mother are sisters."

Rose regarded Scorpius with a nearly disgusted look, as though she could not believe he was related to someone as awful as Jocelyn Dale. Yet, Rose had only known Jocelyn half as long as Albus had, so she hadn't even gotten a real feel for the venomous current that ran deep in the girl.

While his cousin continued to stare in disbelief, Albus looked into the Hospital Wing at the rushing teachers, the crying students, and the bewildered look on Madame Pomfrey's face; as though she had never encountered anything like this before.

"We're not disbanded yet, are we?"

"No, Albus," Scorpius answered, shaking his head, "we are not."


	7. Chapter 7 Craftsmanship and Techniques

* * *

Chapter 7  
Craftsmanship and Techniques

Frantically, Albus scribbled the answers to his Charms homework as he sat at one of the desks in the school library. The Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs had just started learning about combining levitation and movement spells in order to move objects through the air. Professor Branstone had moved past drilling them on the basic wand movements for their latest unit and onto situations for which the spells could be applied. Although, the class as a whole had yet to practice any of the spells in a practical sense.

_In a situation in which you find yourself needing to cross a natural opening and the bridge appears too dangerous to cross, what are three spell options you would have to choose from? Please explain the advantages and disadvantages of each spell._Albus quickly scribbled a few spells he could remember off the top of his head, and a few reasons behind each one that he didn't bother to consult the book for. He still had twenty answers left to look up and less and less time to do it. He had to hurry; the Arcane ScoRA was going to be having yet another meeting in less than an hour. The third one this week, none of which had been conducted in the presence of Moaning Myrtle. Ever since the Doxy incident at the Quidditch match, Rose had slowly been working her way through the Magical Creatures section of the library and Scorpius had been making a point to listen to every piece of gossip that echoed through the Slytherin common room, for everything there was to be heard, would be heard in there, according to Scorpius. Albus would find himself following along with whatever he was needed for, but not to the near rabid degree that Rose was leading them on. Scorpius did not seem nearly as committed as her, but he had yet to say anything to quell the Weasley Ravenclaw.

Whether a desire to follow in the footsteps of their parents or a desire not to have the ordinary, boring school years that everyone seemed to want for them, whatever the Arcane ScoRA had started out to be, it certainly wasn't that anymore.

"How goes it, Little Potter?"

Albus felt himself jump slightly out of habit, nearly falling backwards out of his chair, but relaxed when he didn't see the dual forms of James and Fred. Instead, the growingly familiar Maddox Dugan looked down at him through the strands of longish dark hair with a slightly puzzled smile on his face. Not waiting for an invitation, he pulled out the chair next to Albus and took a seat.

"Wow, you _are_ the jumpy one, aren't you?" Maddox remarked, reclining sideways against the desk. "At any rate, though, how are you?"

The older student asked Albus these questions with a general interest. Also, he didn't speak to Albus in the condescending tone that so many people used on children without even noticing.

"Alright." Albus shut his schoolbook and set his wand on the cover.

"Alright?" Maddox questioned jokingly with a raised eyebrow. "Just alright? Or have I come across you on a day where you aren't in the mood to talk?"

Even though Albus could tell that the older student was just joking around, not even teasing him, he still couldn't help but feel guilty at the words. Maddox had been so nice to him ever since he had first arrived at Hogwarts: and he was friends with both James and Fred—it would have been so easy for him to follow their lead and tease Albus right along with them. But instead, he treated Albus with the same welcoming attitude he had given to all the other first-years, ignoring the fact that he already knew Albus' older brother and most of his cousins and the easy prey he could have made.

"I'm sorry you couldn't play Quidditch on Saturday," Albus whispered apologetically.

Upon hearing this, instead of feeling sorry for himself, Maddox laughed. Yeah, I heard all about that fiasco. But leave it to James Potter to be able to maneuver his way through a Doxy swarm and still catch the Snitch. At least Gryffindor won in the end. That's what really matters."

Then, leaning in close, Maddox whispered, "Besides, you met Jocelyn Dale. Tell me that missing one game of Quidditch isn't worth being able to call her a Blast-ended Skank to her face."

At this, Albus, who normally wasn't one to laugh at people behind their backs, couldn't help but snicker. Jocelyn Dale _was_ a horrible, horrible human being, who had more than likely never had a day of difficulty or tragedy in her life. She was the type of girl who deserved every word people said about her behind her back; possibly even more.

"What are you working on?" Maddox leaned over to peek at Albus' composition book. "Charms homework? Does Professor Branstone still have you working on the wand movements, or has she actually started letting you use the spell yet?"

"Still working on the movements." Albus grabbed his wand so he could illustrate. "Left flick, right flick, arch, and swish."

Maddox nodded in an attentive manner, but Albus was beginning to notice that his eyes were resting on his wand and not the wielder of it.

"Nice wand," he remarked with his hand out. "May I?"

This caught Albus somewhat by surprise. At Ollivander's wand shop, he had received a very long lecture from Ollivander, whom his father had later told him was the nephew of the wandsmith who had sold him his wand, that his wand would be as much a part of him as his hands or his eyes. Later, his parents both made very sure to tell Albus that Ashford Ollivander was a man who seemed to garner entertainment from making new Hogwarts students anxious about their first wands so as to frighten them into taking better care of them so that he would not have to worry about making repairs later. Apparently Rose, his older cousins, and even Teddy had gotten the exact same talk.

Despite his parents stressing not to worry about his wand, saying they were built very durable, still he felt his pulse quicken as he pulled the wand from the pocket of his robes. Somewhat warily, Albus handed the rod over to the older student. Appearing to note his apprehension, Maddox took great care in receiving the wand, handling it carefully in his hands as he examined it.

"Cherry," he noted. "Very good for Divination spells. The wielders of it tend to be very good at divining and have strong intuition."

Albus regaled this telling with a healthy dose of disbelief. Him and Divination? It hardly seemed possible. Every single member of his family had made a point of telling him that Divination was a load of hogwash, Aunt Hermione in particular. James, Fred, Molly, and Lucy all took Divination, but this was hardly an indicator of its validity. James had remarked on more than one occasion that old Professor Trelawney's growing senility made for one of the easiest grades in the school. All you really had to do in order to pass was think of a prediction to make five minutes before class and recite them in a dramatic voice.

But Maddox certainly did seem to speak in a way that suggested he knew what he was talking about.

"What's the core?" Maddox asked.

"Unicorn hair."

"Hmm," Maddox hummed under his breath. "Unicorn wands normally only choose owners who are pure of heart. I guess that means I'm never going to have to worry about you turning me into a rat while I sleep then, right?"

Albus couldn't help but smile at the joke. Though part of him felt a little disappointed that his wand would not be very suitable for turning _James_ into a rat while she slept.

"Overall, a very good wand for defensive and healing magic," Maddox finished, handing the wand back to Albus. "It fits you, like most wands fit their owners."

Albus nodded, noting the observations with a slight shrug of his shoulders. But Maddox wasn't quite done talking about wands just yet.

"What about that cousin of yours in Ravenclaw, Rose?" he asked. "Do you know what her wand is?"

"Birch," Albus thought out loud as he tried to remember, "and…phoenix feather, I think."

"Really?" Maddox remarked, eyebrow slightly raised. "I can understand her Sorting then. Birch wands usually only tend to belong to great thinkers and those of logical mind. And combining it with the phoenix feather also makes it a great wand for defensive and healing magic, just like yours. But it's also excellent for cleansing and driving out spirits."

Albus could hardly argue. This definitely sounded like a wand that would choose his cousin. The polite interest he had begun the conversation with was gone, now replaced by a genuine, more rabid interest in learning more that seemed much more characteristic of Rose Weasley than Albus Potter.

"Wicked," Albus breathed. "My brother's is Koa and dragon heartstring. What does that mean?"

Once again, a confident, knowing look appeared on Maddox Dugan's face as he shared the information with the younger Gryffindor. "Koa wands are good for luck spells and charms. They usually choose those who possess an innate lucky streak. And dragon heartstrings are good cores for dueling and casting hexes. No doubt you've already experienced these things on the wrong end of that wand."

"What about you?" Albus' eyes shifted down to the wand poking out of Maddox's robes. "What's your wand made of?"

Without even looking down, he extracted the wand and held it up for Albus to see. It was polished and completely without nicks or scratches that he had seen on the wands of his older cousins. "_Oak_ and dragon heartstring," he answered with all the enthusiasm he spoke with towards wands distinctively absent. "But to be perfectly honest, I never felt like it truly fit me like it was supposed to. When I went to Ollivander's, I barely got a reaction out of it. Of course, it was about the fiftieth wand I tried, so I suppose I was just fed up. Maybe one of these days I'll go back and see if I can get a different one.

"One that suits me better," he continued as he pulled the wand away and it disappeared back into his robes pocket. "You know, it might even be that I've just changed so much since my first year that my wand just doesn't respond to me as well as it used to. It's rare, but it _does_ happen."

Once the wand was gone, though, all of Maddox's previous enthusiasm towards the subject of wands returned.

"And it might even be that it's Ollivander's technique itself that doesn't suit me. There are a lot of different techniques for making wands," he went on to explain. "In America, wands are custom made so they will only work for the person they were originally made for."

"Whoa," Albus remarked with a sense of awe. "You sure know a lot about wands. Do want to be a wandsmith?"

Maddox shook his head, casting his eyes down to the desktop as he trailed his fingers across the grain. "Doubtful," he replied with a tone of resignation. "I don't think Ollivander's will close their business, and I don't like the odds of trying to compete with Britain's best wandmaker."

"Albus," a call came from behind him.

Albus and Maddox turned in unison to see a redheaded, black robe clad figure hunkered down with more books that most would think a child her age would be strong enough to hold. There was Rose, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor and shifting her eyes back and forth between the two boys as though waiting for an explanation. And Maddox seemed to be just a little but intimidated by the young girl staring him down.

"Oh, yes." Albus suddenly remembered, as the only Weasley not in Gryffindor, that his cousin had never met Maddox. "Rose, this is Maddox Dugan. He's a fourth-year in my house. Maddox, this is my cousin, Rose Weasley. She's a first-year."

Suddenly, recognition dawned as Maddox recalled the near-famous name from the Sorting Ceremony.

"Ah, so this is the notorious Ravenclaw Weasley," Maddox remarked as he extended his hand towards the younger girl. "I have to say, the way your family talks about you being so different, I was almost expecting to see a third arm growing out of your forehead."

Albus snickered behind his hand, but, as with most jokes poking fun at her, Rose did not laugh. She looked up at Maddox with a critical look almost never seen on someone as young as her. The young Ravenclaw looked down at his hand as though she expected to be shocked the moment she grabbed it.

"There's nothing wrong with being intelligent and creative," Rose answered back in the manner of someone extremely offended.

Maddox raised an eyebrow at the response Albus' cousin gave him, but did not answer back with any snide remarks or anything else that might have further provoked Rose's feelings of animosity. He simply kept his hand extended, waiting for the first-year girl in front of him to accept the gesture of friendship. Finally, Rose seemed to understand that Maddox was not going to be frightened away by her, so she begrudgingly extended her hand as well.

"Pleasure," she muttered dryly as she accepted his hand. But as soon as she pulled it away, Albus could see her fingers twitch, as though she had a compulsive need to wash her hands now.

Suddenly shrugging it off, she shifted her gaze back to her cousin, as though she had never even spoken to Maddox.

"Albus, don't forget," Rose reminded him, "we have to meet Scorpius soon, to 'study'."

Albus stood, confused, for a moment before he finally remembered what his cousin was talking about. No doubt, having left Scorpius in some corner of the library all by himself, making sure that he knew that Albus was the reason why.

"I've…" Albus trailed as he began to follow his cousin, "got to go now."

"Okay," Maddox called after him as Albus walked away. "Don't you get into _too_ much trouble when I'm not watching you."

Rose, not having waited for her cousin and the older Gryffindor to exchange farewells, was already well on her way out of the study area and about ready to duck behind the Herbology shelves. Desperate to keep up with her, Albus began a swift, stiff shuffle, all the while glancing over his shoulder for Madam Pince, whose advanced age had done nothing to hinder her abilities to track down misbehaving students.

"Rose," Albus hissed under his breath as his cousin ducked into the stacks. "Rose, please wait!"

Whether an answer to his pleas or her own security they were not being followed, Rose finally slowed to a more comfortable pace. Then, turning towards her heavily-breathing cousin while still continuing ahead, she cast him with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Albus," she said, her tone then taking a sudden turn, "but maybe you should consider going outside more often."

In between breaths, Albus glared at the redheaded girl. First it was James who would tease him about this kind of thing, then Lily was just starting to pick it up. Now he was getting the same from Rose, the one person in his family who should understand having a preference of brains over brawns. Alright, maybe for Albus to refer to himself as a brain was a stretch, but Rose was hardly in a position to argue, even if she was clearly more athletic than her cousin.

Suddenly, Rose stopped at the end of the bookshelves, as though she stood at the edge of a whitewater river. With a glace left, right, and then left again, she grabbed Albus by the sleeve of his robes and dragged him across the opening, as though she did not trust him to make it across on his own.

"So who was that Dugan boy you were talking to?" she asked him as they once again resumed a more comfortable pace.

"_Maddox_ Dugan is a fourth-year Gryffindor," Albus replied annoyed, believing Rose had not been listening when Maddox had said all this himself. "His father is the Head of your House."

"Professor Dugan?" Rose said in a noncommittal tone. "It hardly seemed possible."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Rose began her answer with a long winded sigh, as though this were something she really did not want to get into. "Well, Professor Dugan talks with the Ravenclaws a lot about all kinds of things. He's so well-read, and intelligent, and thoughtful." Rose paused as her tone change from the praise of her teacher. "While his son…"

Albus raised an eyebrow at the answer his cousin gave. He began to speak, but his voice trailed off when he noticed his cousin's expression. She kept her eyes on the ground, shifting back and forth, and bit at her bottom lip. This face was as easy for Albus to read as a sign posted on his cousin's back would have been.

"Rose," Albus asked, "what do you have against Maddox?"

"I don't know." Rose shrugged her shoulders as though she could offer no concrete evidence. "I'm finding I don't care for _most_ Gryffindor boys."

Albus shook his head, casting his cousin with the exact same look his father would use on his mother whenever he ran out of things to say. "Rose Weasley, you _are_ a true, blue Ravenclaw!"

Rose giggled under her breath. "Just don't tell my dad."

* * *

Hidden towards the back of the library, in between shelves, sat three students, as far away from the rest of the breathing bodies in the library as they could possibly be. The secrecy of their location was believed by Scorpius to be a necessity, him being the one whom had first staked it out.

In a circle of three (more like a triangle, really), they all sat together. Rose had been slowly working her way through a very large stack of books nearly towering over her head. Across from her, Scorpius sat with a quill and composition book in hand, taking notes on anything Rose deemed relevant. Occasionally, he would take a book from Rose's stack and start reading himself, except as soon as he would set it down, Rose would take it back and start rereading it herself, as though she didn't trust Scorpius to find the information himself.

Rose's latest plan for attack was to study any and all strange incidents in wizarding history to see if anything like this had ever happened before. Earlier, when they had first all come together, Scorpius argued that the teacher probably already had all these books memorized, and if there was anything to know, the professors would have probably already realized it.

Then, Albus broke the silence, turning towards Scorpius so he could ask, "Scorpius, what's your wand made out of?"

"Ash and dragon heartstring," Scorpius answered over the cover of his book. "Why?"

"I was talking to a housemate about wands just now," Albus explained. "You can give him any wood and core combination, and he can tell you exactly what kind of wizard will choose it."

"How fascinating," Scorpius remarked, going back to hiding behind his book cover, clearly not at all interested.

"Albus," ordered an increasingly peeved Rose, "focus!"

The order was somewhat confusing, as Albus wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to be doing, which was why he found himself so often interrupting his cousin's concentration. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be adding to this session. Rose and Scorpius seemed to have the research down, and would occasionally ask Albus to write something down, but for the most part, he simply sat idle, doing nothing but 'impeding their progress', as Rose put it.

Rose stopped thumbing through her book, _Notable Creature Attacks_, and pointed out something she though might be useful, a habit she had already repeated several times already.

"In 1893, in the United States, a creature called a Deer Woman was brought into the city of New Orleans where she killed several dozen people."

Albus sat up diligently, waiting to be told whether or not to write something down.

"But, that was only the one creature…"

"…and the person behind it is more than likely dead." Scorpius finished for her.

So that was a no. Albus sighed and leaned back again the shelves, hoping in the back of his mind that they were sturdy enough to support his weight without falling over like dominos.

"Maybe we should ask Maddox for help," Albus suggested out of the blue.

The group as a whole said nothing. Rose because she could not believe Albus had suggested this after their talk on the way there, and Scorpius because he had no idea what his friend was talking about.

Scorpius was the first to break the silence. "Who is Maddox?"  
"He's some kid in Albus' house," Rose answered for him. "Pretentious bugger, if you ask me."

"He is _not_ pretentious! He knows a lot, about all kinds of things," Albus explained in protest. "He could really help us."

Ordinarily, Albus would be put off by his cousin's slight know-it-all attitude, but he wasn't going to indulge in it when he knew it was flat-out wrong. He knew Maddox a lot better than Rose did. He had been speaking to him ever since school started, and was certain he had a good idea of his character. Rose had known him for about an hour and already seemed to have her mind made up the moment she saw him. Maybe Professor Dugan shared some things with the Ravenclaws that he didn't with the rest of the student body, but not all parents gloated about their children. And Maddox being in Gryffindor instead of his father's house would surely have caused some tension.

"How do you know this kid won't just go running for the closest teacher as soon as you ask him?" Scorpius asked, taking on the roles of devil's advocate.

"Don't you remember all the times our wonderful _cousins_ have gone to our parents with things we have done because 'it was for our own good'?"

Albus could not help backing up against the shelves just a little bit more. He knew his friends had not meant to be intimidating, but he never imagined them getting so defensive at a simple suggestion.

"Well, we're an organization, let's vote on it," Scorpius suggested. "We're all equal members of the Arcane ScoRA, we should all have an equal say in what happens with it."

Rose did not skip a step in beginning the so-called election. "All in favor of letting this older Gryffindor in on the Arcane ScoRA?"

Nervously, Albus rose his hand, feeling even though it had already been decided against, he should at least stand by his principles.

"All opposed?"

Rose's hand went up immediately, and Scorpius' followed hers not soon after.

"Two to one vote for ney," Scorpius announced the results in a somewhat formal fashion.

But at two against one, all the trust in Maddox the world had to offer wouldn't be enough to undo the verdict. So, in a resigned sort of manner, Albus pulled a book from the tall stack beside his cousin and began paging through the picture-less tome, not really able to focus on any of the words.

And once he did, Scorpius and Rose went back to their own readings as though the whole scenario had never happened. A few moments after he did, Rose set her own book down and reached for one of the composition books that held Albus' homework: History of Magic. With Albus noticing, but barely paying attention, she checked over the answers he had written.

"Albus, why would you write that?" Rose pointed to an answer in his homework. "You wrote down that Britain has a history of allowing wizarding refugees into the countries, but that has never happened in large numbers. Certainly not enough to be considered 'having a history'."

"Because I told him to," Scorpius answered for Albus. "During the French Revolution, when people were having their heads chopped left and right, a group of people from Northern France called the Normandy Party were allowed entry into England. Everyone knows that!"

"No," Rose argued. "Again, there was a small amount of people who came over, but it was hardly a party."

"Yes, they did!" Scorpius snapped back. "My grandfather told me that the Malfoy family came to England with the Normandy Party."

Albus watched as the two supposed friends tore at one another over their schoolwork. He had a hard time they would agree with another on not allowing someone into their organization if they couldn't even agree on answers for schoolwork. Maybe he would ask Maddox himself…on his own time, of course.


	8. Chapter 8 Planning and Preparations

Chapter 8  
Planning and Preparations

That latest meeting of the Arcane ScoRA was the last one the three friends had for a very long time. School and other aspects of life completely consumed their time. Then came midyear examinations, which Albus spent the most time of any Gryffindor studying for, preparing himself for the worst.

But even after all the grueling test were done, the Hogwarts students all found themselves occupied yet again, but for a much more welcome reason: Christmas.

Christmas preparations were taking place all over the school, by students and staff alike. In Charms class, Professor Branstone had begun applying their knowledge of levitation spells to helping decorate the castle, the first useful thing they felt like they had done since the school year had started. Professor Patil, who taught a class that no one was sure could be made festive, invited the house elves into the classroom so they could be 'observed', although the terms of the project were not very strictly defined. In Transfiguration, even Professor Dugan decided to allow some festive activities. They had been learning the properties of color-changing spells by being given Christmas ornaments to transform. And the best part was it wasn't graded.

In Potions, things proceeded much the same as they had the rest of the year. No one was shocked.

Finally, the last day of class came, along with Albus' last class of the term: Herbology. At the end of the school day, the first-year Gryffindor and Hufflepuffs were all in the room before Professor Longbottom, who was easily the favorite teacher of all years. Everyone was excited to see what he had planned

Eventually, five minutes late, Professor Longbottom burst through the greenhouse doors, appearing incredibly frazzled. No one moved from their stool seats, but every student sat a rapt attention, waiting to see what was in store.

"Children," Professor Longbottom gasped as he rushed along the aisles, "has anyone seen Dolores?"

A few students from Hufflepuff giggled as Professor Longbottom began sweeping through a section of leafy, fern-like plants. Deep down, Albus knew a lot of this was just meant to be an entertaining show for the students in honor of the upcoming break, but that didn't stop anyone in the room from enjoying it.

Dolores was Professor Longbottom's pet toad, who was a constant companion in his classes. Well, in truth, this was Dolores VI. Professor Longbottom had named every toad he had ever had in his teaching career Dolores, which he had explained to the student body on more than several dozen occasions. Although most students at Hogwarts could not believe an animal as sweet as Dolores could possibly be named after such a horrible human being.

"Wait a minute." Professor Longbottom waved his finger jokingly as he reached towards Georgia Ackhart's hat, promptly lifting it off the top of her head.

Sure enough, perched atop of Georgia's head, trying to burrow into her hair and hide, was Dolores the toad. Every student in the room started laughing and Georgia's eyes grew wider and wider, as she slowly began to put the pieces together.

"There you are, Dolores!" he exclaimed. "How did you get under there?"

"Get it off me!" Georgia screeched as she cringed.

Swiftly, he swiped the amphibian from her coppery strands of hair, holding little Dolores safely in his palm.

"You know," Professor Longbottom told his students as he set Dolores, the toad, on one of the potting tables, "you kids should really show more respect to our amphibian friends. In Brazil, their school corridors change continuously, and the students use guide frogs to help them find their way to class. But if you were ever there, and the guide frogs learned that you were talking this way about members of their families, they might not help you. _Then_ what would you do?"

"Oh, Professor Longbottom," Leo called up to the front, "don't waste the entire class period talking about Brazilian frogs!"

"Yeah, no one cares about Brazil!" Gavin agreed. "Tell us a war story!"

"One with the Carrows!" Elle Peakes, who was normally so quiet in class, shouted with enthusiasm. "Or one of the student Death Eaters!"

"You children always want to hear about the Carrows." Professor Longbottom groaned jokingly. "I don't know if I have any stories left to tell about them!"

It wasn't just the Carrows. In only one term, Professor Longbottom had told the first-year the stories of Dolores Umbridge, who tortured the students all through his fifth year, the Triwizard Tournament when he had slipped Harry Potter gillyweed for the second challenge. Albus had to admit to himself that his Herbology teacher still had _any_ stories left to tell at this point.

"But I do have a very good story about Dumbledore's Army, the resistance I was a part of that I have been saving."

An excited murmur overtook the class, but eventually settled into complete science.

"You children already know who Severus Snape is, don't you?"

Most of the heads in the room nodded, but of course, Albus knew who Severus Snape was. He was one of the men he had been named for, after all, but all his life, he felt he had gotten mixed messages about the man. His dad had always told him that his former Potions professor was a great man, a brave man, but would always conveniently leave out any details about what kind of teacher he was.

His uncles Bill and George, however, were more than happy to fill him in on those gaps though. During his teaching career, Professor Snape had been one of the strictest, cruelest teachers Hogwarts had ever known, raining down his wrath especially hard on the Gryffindors. Even Uncle Bill, who had been Head Boy, seemed to carry a special sort of distain for the man.

His mother and Aunt Hermione's chief concerns, on the other hand, was that Albus would be beaten up every day of his young life for sporting the name Albus Severus Potter. He had been beaten up, yes, but never because of his middle name.

"How about I tell you the story of when I first began to suspect he might not have been as much of a Dark wizard as people gave him credit?"

As though Professor Longbottom even had to ask. Every student in the classroom cheered and raised their hands to show their approval.

"Alright." Professor Longbottom finally surrendered. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. Lord Voldemort had just taken over the Ministry of Magic, and then, of course, Hogwarts was next to fall under his control. But since he couldn't be everywhere at once, he put a man in charge that he _thought_ he could trust."

A few people in the back snickered in the way people always do when they know the end of a story before it is told.

"Anyway," Professor Longbottom continued, "I had always been afraid of Professor Snape, ever since I was a first-year. And being the leader of an underground resistance had done absolutely nothing to change this fact. But being that I _was_ the current leader, unofficially in the eyes of the Carrows, whenever anything really wrong occurred under them, I would have been the one to be sent to the Headmaster's office.

"One such day, I and several of the Hufflepuff recruits made a plan to sneak a very important parchment out of the castle. On this parchment, we had all made notes of where the Carrows could be found at any given moment of the day, Death Eaters we had seen coming in and out of the castle, anything we thought might be useful to those on the outside, even if it could only be used once the war was over, as a record."

The entire classroom was silent, save for the occasional shoe scraping against the legs of their stool. No teacher had the ability to capture their students' attention quite like Professor Longbottom.

"Making the record was easy enough," Professor Longbottom went on to say, picking Dolores up once again and allowing her to ride in his open palm. "The challenge was actually getting the records out. All student mail was opened and monitored to make sure nothing questionable could be sent by or to the students. What had to be done was a group of students had to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night, avoid all signs of detection, and get the letter to an unregistered owl that would send it to the Order of the Phoenix. Unfortunately, we were all caught before we were even halfway there, and, naturally, we were immediately sent to the Headmaster's office, in the middle of the night, to face the wrath of Professor Snape."

A collective gasp shuddered across the room. Even Albus couldn't help but participate.

"Of course, I did my best to put up a brave front for my fellow capture comrades, but I would have given anything at that moment to have an asteroid crash through the castle walls and crush me flat."

Professor Longbottom set Dolores down on one of the tabletop and slammed his fist into his left palm to help illustrate this better. A few of the Hufflepuff girls jumped, but soon brought their complete attention back to the story.

"Naturally, Professor Snape didn't remain in his office all through the night, waiting for anyone who _might_ be sent to him; so we all just had to sit there and wait for him to come to us. The Carrows even locked us in so we couldn't escape.

"We sat in those chairs for two hours, sixteen minutes, and thirty-eight seconds." Professor Longbottom spoke the time in a pained sort of way, as though just saying it made him feel all the panic and anxiety he must have felt back then. "My friend Ernie Macmillan was wearing a watch, and I made sure I knew exactly what time it was at all times."

At the mention of the other boy's name, Fairfax Macmillan smiled proudly and she began to hold her head up a little bit higher. All the same, it didn't completely overtake the quiet unrest as the students sat together, waiting to hear how the story ended, even though they all knew on some level it couldn't have been that bad. Professor Longbottom was standing right in front of them, perfectly fine, after all.

"Finally, Professor Snape came up to his office. We had all assumed that the long wait had just been part of the torture," Professor Longbottom told his students in a hushed voice. "But he looked at us as though we were sitting there and had had the Carrows wake him up just to annoy him. So he snapped at us, 'What are you all doing out of bed?'

"None of us knew what to say. We were all taken completely by surprise. 'Get back to your houses, all of you, right now, before I expel the lot of you!'"

The voice that Professor Longbottom had assigned to Professor Snape, Albus knew was meant to be scary, but all it accomplished was to make the students giggle. Albus wondered if Professor Snape really had sounded like this, and if the students all laughed at his voice the way the kids in his class were doing now. How many of his friends would have been expelled if Professor Snape knew they were laughing at the way he spoke?

"We were shocked, but we certainly weren't going to wait around for him to change his mind. We raced down the staircase and out into the corridor. Everyone else was racing ahead of me, making their way down to the Hufflepuff common room, but I had to stop when I heard a noise like something falling behind me. I turned around just in time to see our parchment fluttering down to the floor. It hadn't been torn, destroyed, splotched. It didn't even have a note written on it. Professor Snape had just dropped it down the staircase for one of us to find.

"That was when I first started to suspect something was off." Professor Longbottom spoke in an ominous sort of tone, regaling in his younger days. "When I first believed maybe he wasn't as horrid a man deep down as he wanted us all to believe."

"Is that the end of the story?" a Hufflepuff named Micah Oswald raised his hand and asked. "Can we hear one about the Battle of Hogwarts now?"

"Hold on." Professor Longbottom stopped before his entire class could erupt in agreement. "Let's at least _pretend_ we did something productive today before we move on to another story. Does anyone have any questions of me? About anything, anything at all? It doesn't have to be Herbology related."

Still, the classroom remained silent and still. Albus, however, did have a question he was hoping he would be able to run by his teacher, although he wasn't quite sure he felt safe asking it.

"The sooner somebody asks a question, the sooner you'll all get to hear another war story."

Finally, Albus made his decision and raised his hand. As Herbology was one of the few classes he did not share with Scorpius or Rose, Albus felt safe in asking his teacher this question in such an open environment. Besides, it was unlikely any of the Hufflepuffs would be braving the Slytherin Dungeons just to tattle on him to Scorpius.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," Professor Longbottom called on him once again, picking Dolores back up. "What would you like to be enlightened with?"

"Did you ever ask anyone outside of Dumbledore's Army for help?"

"You mean among the Slytherins, Mr. Potter?" Professor Longbottom questioned with wide eyes. "Do you think I had a death wish?"

"No." Albus remained serious. "I mean just anyone outside of the resistance. To someone who knew something or could have done something than no one inside the organization could have."

"Well," Professor Longbottom pondered aloud as he considered his answer, "we didn't go to any of the other teachers, if that's what you mean. The school was very much under Lord Voldemort's thumb, and we knew if any of our professor were caught helping us, it would mean their end. We had known our teachers for years, shared a bond with them. We couldn't risk any of them suffering such a horrible fate."

Albus bit at the inside of his cheek, wondering what consequences his own actions might bring.

"That doesn't mean, however, that we didn't reach outside out own organization for help," Professor Longbottom then went on to explain. "All the members of Dumbledore's Army had significantly more eyes watching them than any other member of the student body, even if the Carrows could never prove anything. Occasionally, members would reach out to housemates that weren't an official part of the resistance to relay information. If they had gotten caught, their punishment would have been just as bad, if not worse, than if one of use were caught. Yet, even if they were not a part of the D.A., these students who helped still very much believed in the concept of house unity, and on that concept alone, were willing to go straight into the belly of the beast."

Albus nodded, happy with the answer he had been given. He now knew exactly what he had to do.

"Now then." Professor Longbottom broke his tone. "I do believe I now owe you all a Battle of Hogwarts story."

Once again, the greenhouse burst out in large cheers, which Professor Longbottom had to frantically quiet as he believed to have seen the unmistakable shadow of Professor Flitwick move across one of the windows.

"It all started quite early in the morning. There was still a chill in the air…"

* * *

Even after nearly a week of nonexistent schoolwork, the noble house of Gryffindor still felt the necessity to celebrate the end of the term. Late at night, long after most students would have begun winding down, the common room was still a buzz with activity. There would be no classes tomorrow, so no one worried about what kind of sleep they would get. Food and drinks had been pilfered from the kitchen, with elves even assisting in the collection, several different radios were playing, all at different stations, and every piece of furniture and much of the carpeting was taken up by students playing games, chatting about holiday plans, and even creating last minute efforts to change the makes on their term reports.

That night, Albus stayed up later than he ever had before in his life. A stomach full of Licorice Wands, Chocolate Frogs, candy canes, and other sugary things had help to bring that about. A few lone figures remained, some collecting empty cups and plates, others sprawled across the floor and pieces of furniture, in various stages of sleep. But Albus had a plan very set in his mind, and he was determined to follow through with it, not caring what anyone else thought.

He was going to invite Maddox Dugan to join the Arcane ScoRA.

Wanting to make sure nothing could happen to blow up in his face, Albus scanned the few remaining in the common room for familiar faces. The first-years had been the first to depart from the festivities. Even Dominique, who normally did not care for parties or other large gatherings, had stayed awake, feeling her duties as a prefect inclined her to maintain an order of decorum among the Gryffindors, even though Victoire and the other prefects did not share her opinion, all of them leaving hours before. James and Fred were still reclined in the corner, a half-dozen hostage pillows scattered around them. Drifting in and out of states of consciousness, it seemed very unlikely they would have the ability to comment on anything he might say to Maddox.

Maddox himself was resting, dazed and sprawled out along one of the couches with no one to share it with. He appeared to be one the very verge of sleep, the warm fire and squishy cushions inviting it, but Albus could tell the older boy was still fighting to stay awake.

"Maddox." Albus approached the older boy carefully. "Is it okay if I ask you something…in private?"

"Sure, Little Potter." Maddox groaned and strained as he pushed himself off the sofa. His entire face stretched as he yawned and his hand over his eyes. It was a pretty clear that leaving his cozy little corner was one of the last things he wanted to do, but he still allowed Albus to lead him away from the few remaining Gryffindors and into a tiny alcove where Albus felt confident that their conversation could not be heard.

"Alright, Albus," Maddox said sleepily. "What's on your mind?"

Before truly committing to the events set in motion, Albus made one last survey of their surroundings, making sure they were completely alone.

"Do you know how all these creatures have been getting into the school?"

"Little Potter, I know that swarm at the Quidditch match was scary, but it was more than a month ago. Nothing strange has happened since, and it was only one freak event."

Maddox hardly seemed swayed. Albus knew the fourth-year more than likely believed Albus was just being a scaredy-cat and coming to him like a frightened child. Funny how Albus actually did feel very much like that at the moment.

"What about the Erkling that got into the corridors that night?" Albus listed off. "And then there were the Chizpurfles before that!"

Maddox nodded, but he yawned loudly and rubbed his fist across his eyes. Albus began to question the wisdom of consulting the boy so late at night. Surely he could have just as easily caught him along tomorrow morning when everyone was rushing around, preparing their things for when they would leave on the train.

But there was no turning back from his plan now.

"Yes, yes," Maddox agreed with the younger student, still groggy. "But what is it you are trying to say?"

"Well, me and my friends Scorpius Malfoy, and Rose Weasley, my cousin; you remember her. We have formed a society, a secret society."

"What kind of secret society?"

"To find out how all these creatures are getting into the school."

"Uh-huh," Maddox said as he stifled a yawn, expressing the same sort of bored interest that most people showed towards small children. "And how are you going to do this?"

"We don't know," Albus confessed, "but we've already done something about them. You remember the Erkling, don't you? And how it was found in the courtyard?"

"I suppose you and your friends lured it off one of the towers and let it fall to its death, didn't you?"

When Albus delayed in giving a direct answer, Maddox's eyes suddenly flew open as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped on his head.

"You did, didn't you?"

"We're called the Arcane ScoRA, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us."

The last part of that sentence came out a little faster than the rest of his speech, but Albus couldn't help it. Talking about the organization like this gave him such a rush. Before, when it was just him talking about it with Scorpius and Rose, it was just a stupid little kids' club. But now that it was out in the open, with a new potential member, an older member who could add so much to the society, it brought at whole new energy to the idea.

Maddox seemed very wide awake now. His expression became quite similar to that of someone who had just swallowed a whole clove of garlic.

"Join you?" Maddox repeated. "Well, that is quite an offer, Little Potter. What exactly does this 'Arcane ScoRA' do?"

"Well, we'll probably change the name one you join too. Although, Rose, Scorpius, and I _were_ the original founders, and adding more letters to the name every time we get a new member would probably complicate things..."

He was rambling again, but this time he was able to bring himself to a stop once he noticed the unsure expression on Maddox's face. It was not the expression of one who was immediately ready to join the ranks, or so Albus assumed

"Little Potter, I really have to tell, I don't know quite how to react to this whole idea. And rushing into things half-cocked never helped anyone

"But I'll tell you what, Albus," Maddox spoke up again once he saw the disappointment in Albus' eyes. "Let me take the Christmas holiday to think about it. I'll have a better idea of what I am able to do once I return to Hogwarts."

It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't exactly a no either. And it certainly didn't seem like he was going to go running to a teacher the first chance he got.

"Go to bed, Little Potter," Maddox told him before heading off to his own tower. "You won't be able to sleep on this train ride home. Believe me."

* * *

"…and remember," Rose rambled the next morning at breakfast, "we all have our assignments for over the holidays."

Albus suddenly flashed back to attention and looked up from his eggs and sausage. _Assignments?_ How much of the conversation had he missed?

"Scorpius, your parents and grandparents know all kinds of important people, and adults never give kids the whole story."

The next part of Rose's statement was spoken with a sly smile. "Of course, they also don't pay attention to what they say around kids either. What you need to do is listen to everything they say. Listen to anything they say about the school, and write down anything you think might be important. And maybe once we put it all together it will mean something."

"I've got it," Scorpius replied, reaching down to grab the handle of his trunk.

Rose and Scorpius didn't seem the slightest bit worried about anyone hearing their conversation. The Great Hall was such a rushing mass of chaos this morning, it seemed unlikely that anyone would be paying attention to the conversation of the miniscule first-years.

"Albus and I always spend Christmas together, and we know our assignments," Rose finished. "So…I suppose that's it."

"I hope you two both have a happy Christmas," Scorpius told the two cousins before turning to make his way towards the door. He didn't so much as look back at the two of them, but he eventually caught up to an older girl whom Albus recognized as Jocelyn Dale and the two of them walked out of the Great Hall together.

* * *

The train station was freezing cold. It almost made Albus wish he had decided to stay at school over the holiday just so he could be inside right now with a fire and elves who, with a near empty school, would have nothing better to do than bring him cup after cup of hot chocolate. _With mandated union breaks, of course,_ he soon thought to himself when his eyes met with Rose, thinking that somehow his Aunt Hermione might be able to hear his thoughts through her daughter.

"First-years now boarding!" Hagrid called out, looking perfectly content in his heavy moleskin coat.

"About time!" Rose gasped as she raced for the doors, along with the swarm of other first-years.

Albus followed Rose closely, for he had no idea where they were going, although he did know there was a specific destination in mind. On any other ride on the Hogwarts Express, Albus and all of his cousins would scatter among the various compartments of the train. Christmas time was different, however.

This time, the entire Weasley clan had reserved the largest compartment on the train just for them. With all of them in different classes, years, and activities having nothing to do with school, it was a rare moment when they could all be together. Albus was fairly confident that this particular train compartment had been built solely to accommodate the Weasley family. There had always been a lot of them.

The ride home for Christmas holidays was the one time the Weasley cousins would make sure they were all together.

Eventually, Rose and Albus found the large compartment, seeming the size of a house with just the two of them inside alone. But eventually, the second-years were allowed on the train, and Roxanne joined them. She was soon followed by Fred and James, who gave way to Louis and Lucy. Then came Molly, Dominique, and finally, Victoire. By then, every student had boarded. No more than a moment or so after Victoire took her seat, the train shifted and began chugging along the tracks, bringing nearly the entire student body of Hogwarts home.

Uncle Bill's children all sat in a neat row of one another. Victoire was writing _something_ in a composition book, holding it close to her chest so no one else in the car could read it. Dominique sat pouring over a textbook entitled _O.W.L. Exam Preparation in Your Spare Time_, chewing on her index fingernail, while Louis went over the parchment of Quidditch strategies that Tracy had handed out to the entire Quidditch team. James, Fred, and Roxanne had the exact same piece of parchment, but they were hardly giving it the same consideration that their older cousin was. The three of them had a piece of parchment in front of them as well, but the ink that had bled through page showed a logo with three intertwining W's. More than likely something for Uncle George's shop, something either involving a new product or the cut they would get for selling it.

Molly and Lucy sat side by side, barely an inch of height difference between their two brunette heads. Molly, as a fifth-year, had her O.W.L.s coming up soon as well, but from her calm, nearly dazed expression on her face. She did not appear to share the same anxiously frantic attitude towards the exam that her cousin did. Then again, Albus had never met any two people less alike than Molly and Dominique.

Occasionally, the older cousins would exchange conversation with one another, but even though Albus and Rose were sitting right beside each other, they didn't say a word. Albus would look over to his side every now and again, but Rose would always be sitting at a sort of rapt attention, as though all that was happening inside her head was plenty to entertain her. Not willing to find out what the reaction would be if Rose were pulled out of these thought, Albus let her be and stared out the window. He watched as the scenery changed into forests, and fields, villages, and eventually the beginnings of London.

"Attention, students, attention," the conductor's voice called out. "We will be arriving at Kings Cross in fifteen minutes. Please bundle up and have a happy Christmas."

Albus sighed wearily as he gathered up his cloak and other knit things, mentally preparing himself for what he knew the holidays would bring this year just as they did every year. He wished himself a happy Christmas before following his cousins out of the compartment and into the madness.

* * *

"ALBUS! JAMES! ROSE!"

Albus turned his head to the right, in the direction of the loud, but very familiar voice of his little sister. Lily was the first person to spot them just as Rose stepped off the train. By the time Rose had both feet firmly on the platform, Albus' parents and Aunt Hermione were approaching them, with Lily and Hugo racing ahead of the pack.

Out the corner of his eye, Albus couldn't help but notice a slightly sick expression take over Rose's face, and he some clue as to the reason behind it. This was the first time his cousin would be seeing her father since she had left for Hogwarts; her father that had told her if she did not get into Gryffindor, he would disinherit her. In the letters from home, none of them had mentioned Uncle Ron's feelings about his only daughter being Sorted into Ravenclaw. For weeks now, Albus had been trying to remind Rose that nobody disinherited their children because of their Sortings anymore, least of anyone from the Weasleys. Albus couldn't think of another family more devoted to one another.

Besides, even if Uncle Ron _did_ disinherit her, it wasn't as though Rose didn't have a half dozen other branches of the Weasley family tree that would take her in.

Speaking of which, it was at the point the large collection of Weasley cousins parted ways into the arms of several waiting groups of aunts and uncles. Dominique and Louis rushed to Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, their mother gushing in French and them speaking shorter French phrases back, leaving Bill standing off to the side, waiting for the English portion of the reunion. Victoire had all but disappeared, more than likely gone off to meet Teddy Lupin, who was nowhere to be found either. Fred and Roxanne raced with their hands full over to their mother, setting their trunks at Aunt Angelina's feet, and then placing their school reports in one hand and a large stack of what had to be order forms for Weasley Wizard Wheezes in the other. Molly and Lucy were already gone, even though Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey were still standing on the platform waiting for them; no doubt the two sisters believed they may have a chance to do some shopping in the Muggle shops of London before their parents realized what happened.

"ALBUS!" Lily shrieked, nearly tackling Albus to the ground in a remarkably strong hug for someone her size. Hugo dashed up from right behind her, choosing Rose as his target, but actually succeeding in knocking his older sibling to the concrete. Rose yelped, but then started laughing and hugging her younger brother back. The relationship between the two of the was quite different from the battle-laced one that existed between the Potter children.

"Boys," Albus' dad greeted his sons as soon as the remaining crowd of family members reached them. "You both had a good term, I trust?"

"Oh, of course, Dad. And I've been taking good care of little Albie-kins too," James said, playfully ruffling Albus' hair in what Albus knew to be a sarcastic act before suddenly becoming more serious. "Hi, Mum. How are you today?"

Before greeting her firstborn son, their mother held out her hand expectantly. Albus couldn't help but smirk at the family ritual. Every year when they had picked James up from the Kings Cross, their mother would first ask to see his school report, with particular attention paid to the disciplinary file, before decide just how happy she was to see him.

"I'm very well, James," she remarked as her son handed her the folded piece of paper. After thoroughly reading the report and folding it back again. "Only three detentions this term?"

"The year is still young," James joked and laugh, but instantly stopping as soon as he saw that his mother did not find his words nearly as amusing as he had. Wisely, he chose to abandon the topic of conversation and turned to his younger sister, who still had her arms wrapped tightly around Albus' middle. "Lily, don't I get a hug?"

Lily stopped for a moment to regard James with a critical gaze before deciding on her words. "Did you bring me anything from Hogwarts?"

"It's not a holiday destination, Lily," James said to his sister, repeating what he had told her at last year's holiday, and the year before that. "It's a school. There isn't a gift shop!"

"That means no, doesn't it?" Lily pouted.

_No hug for James, it would appear,_ Albus thought to himself, amused.

"Rose!" Aunt Hermione rushed to her daughter the moment Hugo released his clinging grip around her neck and the two of them pushed themselves up onto their feet. "You look wonderful!"

"Hello, Mum," Rose greeted her mother. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh, he's off showing of that car to your Uncle George," Aunt Hermione answer, shaking her head, annoyed. "I swear, the man passes one Muggle driver's test, and suddenly he believes he is somehow an expert in the ways of Muggle society."

"I don't believe _you_ have a driver's license, Hermione," Albus mother teased, wagging her finger at his aunt.

Albus' dad snickered at the comment while Aunt Hermione rolled her eye, but Rose kept her eyes on the platform entrance. Soon ahead, two redheaded men bundled down in Muggle winter clothes through the solid brick platform, laughing arm and arm, and Uncle George wearing his hilarious one-ear earmuff. The women of the family had all called Uncle George's winter headgear tasteless and tacky, but the cousins, as with everything else Uncle George did or made, found it incredibly amusing.

Eventually, the two adult brothers stopped kidding around with one another long enough to meet of with their families. Uncle George rushed over to Aunt Angelina, taking the order forms in one hand and hugging his wife around the shoulder with the other. Roxanne rushed forward to hug her both her parents, and after a rather forceful yank from his sister, Fred did too.

Uncle Ron watched his brother's family for a moment before finally approaching his own, setting his sights on the body closest to him: Rose. Albus' cousin reached back towards him to grab a hold of his hand and took a deep, nervous breath.

"Ohhhh!" Uncle Ron caught Rose up in a giant hug and spun around. "There's my little Rosie Cosy-Toesies!"

Hugo laughed at the image of his sister swirling through the air at top speed, and the rest of the adult all smiled at the affectionate display, but Rose simply seemed bewildered. Of all the reaction she must have prepared herself for, this had not been one of them.

"I guess he's gotten over it," Albus shrugged after Uncle Ron set his daughter down and Rose's feet were firmly on the ground.

Uncle Ron raised an eyebrow at Albus' comment. "What's all this about then?"

"At the beginning of the term," Albus reminded him, "you told Rose that if she wasn't Sorted into Gryffindor, that she wasn't you daughter anymore."

Uncle Ron laughed at Albus' word, but stopped once he noticed the nervous expression his daughter was sharing with the ground, and her anxiously shifting feet.

"Rosie," he said, suddenly sounding more serious. "Rosie, look at me."

Finally, he was able to get Rose to look him in the eyes. Albus watched his cousin chew on her bottom lip and wring her cloak through her fists.

"Rosie, no matter what house you would have gotten Sorted into, I would have been proud of you," he told Rose, making sure that everything said and how he said it left no doubts as to the sincerity of his words. "You're my baby. I raised you for eleven years, and everything you've ever done has made me proud. Getting Sorted into Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff does not change that."

James began playing an pretend violin to go along with Uncle Ron's speech, which was put to a prompt end when Albus elbowed him in the stomach. _Gryffindor really is starting to rub off on me._

"And your mother and I have always know you were a smart cookie! Her parents don't stop reminding me."

That last comment was said as a whisper, but luckily, Aunt Hermione didn't hear it. Rose was starting to look a little better, but there was a certain glint her eyes that let Albus know that she had heard something that she planned on using against her father.

"Any house?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow. "Even Slytherin?"

"Okay, let's get going!" Uncle Ron clapped his gloved hands together, thoroughly trying to avoid answering that particular question. "We feels like going for a hot chocolate before we leave for Grimmauld Place?"

"Me, me, me!" Lily and Hugo both shouted, jumping up and down.

The smaller children raced ahead to the platform with Uncle Ron right one their heels, as though he could not get away from his daughter, or rather her question, fast enough. But Rose was soon chasing after him, shouting her argument all along the way.

"I'm going to tell my children to ask the hat to put them in Slytherin just to make sure you really mean that!"


	9. Chapter 9 ‘Twas the Night Before Christm

Chapter 9  
'Twas the Night Before Christmas…

"Dad, just use your wand already!" James complained, breathing warm air onto his hands. "It's freezing out here!"

"Keep your cloak on, James," his dad lectured as he fumbled with the house key. "I've almost got it."

Albus was using one hand to hold his cloak more tightly around him and the other to pull his knit hat further down over his ears. Behind him, his mother jittered and tapped her foot impatiently, while Lily whined and attempted to use her mittens to cover the bare skin of her face. Albus soon found himself jumping from foot to foot in a ridiculous attempt to circulate his blood. While he waited for his dad to finally figure out the lock, he stared up at the intimidating building: Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

The house was incredibly large with more rooms than Albus believed he could ever remember. Those were about the only redeeming qualities of the place. It was cold, dusty, and every little noise echoed through the halls like it was a mausoleum. In short, it was everything their family home in Godric's Hollow wasn't. If Albus didn't know that his dad had inherited it, he would have had no idea how his family had come to own such a gloomy and depressing looking house.

Albus' family owned the house, but they really only used it once a year at the Weasley family Christmas gathering. When Albus was younger, he used to feel sorry for Kreacher, the house-elf who also called Number Twelve Grimmauld Place his home. He spent so much of his time alone, and Albus couldn't imagine how lonely he must have been all through the year.

The Christmas routine was always the same. Albus and Rose's families would always be the first to arrive at Grimmauld Place a few days before Christmas, and spend all that time getting the house up to Weasley family standards (not an easy task). Then, starting Christmas Eve morning, one by one, the various other members of the Weasley clan would so up in droves.

"There we are!" With a shove of his shoulder, their father was finally able to force the door open.

And standing right in the center of the entryway was Kreacher, the aging house-elf who had been a resident of Grimmauld Place before Albus, or even his dad, was born. Kreacher's legs shook as though simply supporting his own weight was a tremendous task.

"Greetings, Master Potter," Kreacher greeted in that formal way of his. "Is there anything Kreacher can do for you?"

It wasn't until Albus had seen the younger, more energetic elves working at Hogwarts that he had a true understanding of how old and homely-looking Kreacher really was. His coloring was fading like an old bolt of fabric and his ears were drooped and torn in ragged pieces. His arms sagged, his knees creaked as he walked, and left Albus wondering if house-elves were capable of getting arthritis the way older humans did.

"No, that's alright, Kreacher," Albus heard his dad tell the house-elf. Albus was fairly certain that his father held just as much pity and sympathy for the old elf as he did.

"But do let us know when Ron and Hermione get here, will you?" his mother was able to call out before he could turn away.

"Of course, Mistress," the elf answered, bowing once again before hobbling off. "Kreacher lives to serve the Potter family."

Once Kreacher was out of earshot, James leaned over and whispered in Albus' ear, "I think this might be the year that Kreacher finally drops dead."

"James!"

Albus' older brother flinched as he awaited that force of impending wrath known as Mum. Soon enough, James was led away by the hook of his arm to be the first to start at the merciless task ahead: cleaning the entire house. And not just simply cleaning it, but cleaning it to the standards Grandmum Weasley. Albus, Lily, and their father all remained in the entryway, waiting until they could be certain that Ginny Potter's temper was spent and couldn't be lashed out on any innocent bystanders.

* * *

The job of cleaning up Number Twelve Grimmauld Place mostly fell on Kreacher, who lived in the house all year round, even when there was no one there. Other than sweeping out the dust and clearing out the high corner cobwebs, all there really was to do was decorate the home with enough holly and tinsel that even the gloomy house could be considered 'festive'.

"Uncle Charlie's coming this year, isn't he?" Albus asked his mum as he took a box of tree trimmings from her.

Uncle Charlie was the type of man who 'lived for his work', as all the adults said. But it was an amazing type of work — Uncle Charlie worked in Romania, on a dragon reserve. It was an exciting job to talk about whenever he did visit, but the distance and the demand made those visits a rare occasion. Albus could only really remember Uncle Charlie attending half of the family Christmases in his life. However, the rarity of his visits were also part of what made them so special.

"The last owl he sent to your Grandma Weasley said he was," she replied as she took a few of Albus' decorations to hang on some of the higher reaching branches. "So unless a dragon escaped the reservation and burned down half of Romania, you can expect to see him."

"Wicked!"

James walked into the room, arms loaded with still more decorations, just in time to hear his mother's confirmation. Soon enough, their dad followed, dragging an enormous tower of boxes on a toboggan, and then came Lily with a wreath on each arm.

"What about Loony?" Lily quipped.

Their father laughed at the nickname that the Potter children had come to use over the years. Lily was talking about Luna Scamander, her godmother and longtime friend of the family.

"Not this year," their dad confessed. "She and Rolf are knee-deep in research for their new book. And with a new baby on the way, not to mention the twins, they can't be that anxious to travel, I imagine."

Upon hearing the news, Lily gave a genuine pout. Luna Scamander was something of a personal hero to Lily — so much so that to Lily had even grown her hair in a long, scraggly style just like Luna had worn in her school days.

Albus could easily see how his little sister saw her godmother as someone to emulate. Like Uncle Charlie, Luna's work as a naturalist took her and her husband all over the world, studying the most amazing creatures. She had even been credited with the discovery of several new species since her career begun. Luna had generated a lot of excitement two summers ago when she brought one of these new discoveries, the Eriecuff, one for each of the Weasley grandchildren. She and Rolf had discovered them on their last journey to the Amazon and were hoping they would be able to become a hit as pets in the wizarding world.

The Eriecuffs were cute enough: small, furry, with large, bat-like ears and buggy eyes that would have been big on a unicorn. The girls all fell in love with them, and, although the boys wouldn't admit it, adored them too. No one saw a problem with them until the Eriecuffs discovered Grandmum Weasley's cooking, rampaged though the kitchen, and then ran off into the wildness, leaving the family bewildered and the Burrow in near ruins. They also took several of Grandmum Weasley's half-finished knitting projects with them.

As much as Albus' parents seemed to care for Luna and enjoyed her company, he had a feeling all the other members of the Weasley family didn't do their best to encourage Luna and her family to attend any more family gatherings.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley are here," Kreacher suddenly announced, distracting Albus from serving his purpose as his mother's decoration caddy.

It wasn't more than a few seconds later that Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione appeared behind him, each with their arms loaded down with wrapped presents, extra winter clothing, and, most notably, still-warm boxes of food. If Aunt Hermione had one weakness as far as Christmas preparations went, it was that she _could not_ cook. At least not to the standards of Grandmum Weasley. So, for as many days as they could get away with, Aunt Hermione would go into London shops that would make dinners _for_ them, and the two families would live off the food until Albus' grandmother would finally arrive. Because once the children's grandmother finally did arrive, Aunt Hermione would be banished from the kitchen for the rest of the holiday.

Bursting out from either side of Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were their two children. Hugo rushed to Lily and then the two of them ran off to who knows where in the house. Rose looked all aglow. She was smiling, laughing, and appeared as though a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders, now that she knew for certain that she was still going to have a family to spend Christmas with.

"Albus!" Rose rushed to her cousin the moment their eyes met. She hugged him tightly around the neck, but miraculously, Albus was still able to hang on to his box of decorations.

Albus half-expected that his cousin was using the hug so she could use whisper something in his ear about the Arcane ScoRA or some new 'mission' she had come up with in her days off of school. But no words ever did come from Rose in the exchange. She gave him one last quick squeeze, and then, more reluctantly, moved on to James. It was a completely pure gesture on her part.

But then what did that thinking say about Albus?

"C'mon, all," Uncle Ron called after embracing Albus' dad and giving his mum a teasing ruffle of her hair. "Let's eat this wonderful food before all the flavor seeps into the cardboard."

Albus was certain Aunt Hermione would have given her husband a good smack in the head, had her arms not been filled with the very food he was 'praising'. Uncle Ron must have sensed this, for he chose that exact moment to make a mad dash for the kitchen. It seemed in vain, though, because Aunt Hermione chased after him, passing the packages off to Albus' dad, and everyone in the house heard Uncle Ron yelp like a whipped puppy almost the exact moment Aunt Hermione disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

Christmas Eve morning arrived before Albus could even feel ready for it. The days leading up to it were so lazy in comparison: it was always such a shock. The loud chaotic mess could almost be pinned down right to the exact second it began.

"Honestly, Arthur!" came a rather loud voice as the front door of house slammed shut. "You are foolish enough to eat food from street cart, don't expect anyone to feel sorry for you!"

There it was. The two families were quite relaxed at the time. James and Albus were enjoying a rare moment with no teasing while Hugo and Lily thumbed their ways through a large stack of Christmas picture books. Rose and Uncle Ron were lying sprawled across the floor, her begging him for one more game of chess and him cursing the fact that he had ever taught her the game.

"Grandmum and Granddad Weasley!" Lily and Hugo shouted in shrill unison.

The two cousins sprung to their feet the very moment their grandparents appeared in the entryway. Hugo and Lily raced forwards and greeted their grandparents with a tackling hug.

"Hi, Granddad," Lily said as her grandfather swept her in his arms. "I missed you!"

Granddad Weasley raised a suspicious, graying eyebrow at the little girl's sweet attitude. "Are you just saying that so I'll give you a Galleon?"

"Yes," Lily answered bluntly.

"Well, it's working," he surrendered, reaching into his coat pocket and retrieving one of the shiny Galleons Albus knew had been there all along.

Out of the corner of his eye, Albus could see his mum and Uncle Ron shifting nervously as Lily's greedy little hand snatched at the coin. It wasn't very hard to understand. His mother and all his uncles always had stories about how poor they had been as children: how they had all lived on hand-me-downs and second-hand school supplies, how they had been teased about their family's lack of money. They and the rest of the uncles always did seem to get nervous whenever the grandchildren were given money without a second thought. Yet Granddad Weasley always insisted that now that the Burrow was empty of hungry, growing children, there was more than enough money to spoil the young grandchildren every now and again.

Lily gleamed and gloated at Hugo from her perch, inciting a jealous response, "Hey, I want money too!"

"Hugo!" Aunt Hermione chastised him.

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "It's 'I want money, _please_'."

"Rose!"

"'allo!" a thick, yet familiar French accent saved Rose from needing to apologize. "Where iz everyone?"

Grandmum and Granddad Weasley were soon abandoned as the youngest of their grandchildren rushed to greet the newest arrivals. "Auntie Fleur!"

Even if their Aunt Fleur had not announced their arrival, the others still would have known from the very loud French complaints about the cold, and Uncle Bill hushing her at what must have been the _really_ bad curses. Finally, the two of them made their way into the parlor, with Lily and Hugo clinging to their sides.

Dominique and Louis were trailing close behind, outfitted in a strange combination of Grandma Weasley's thick yarn creations and the sophisticated French fashions sent from their _Grandmere_ Delacour. There was also one very distinct persona missing from the group.

"Happy Christmas, Fleur." Albus' mother hugged Aunt Fleur around her shoulder, while Aunt Fleur offered her a peck on the cheek. "But I believe you're missing a child."

"Oh, poor Victoire," Aunt Fleur explained as she began to peel off her numerous layers of winter clothing. "She came down weet zome kind of stomach bug just last night."

Albus watched Dominique and Louis shift to give one another a knowing look, and Albus was able to put the pieces of what was going on together, noting to himself that a certain turquoise-haired godson was missing was well. Teddy Lupin, who was usually just as much a part of the Weasley family gatherings as anyone, was not there either. No longer a Hogwarts student himself, any spare time Teddy had, he seemed to devote to his career: finding a career.

Many members of the family, including Teddy's grandmother, had tried to convince him to join the Auror's Office. He certainly had the grades; he was one of the top students in his class. He had connections, with a godfather as the head of the Auror's Office. He even had it in his blood; Teddy's mother had been an Auror, a great one, according to Albus' father. However, also according to Albus' father, Teddy had also inherited his mother's independent mind. While he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, he certainly knew what he _didn't_ want to do, and he did not want the type of job where he would have to go in everyday and expect the exact same thing.

Teddy had some kind of research work he wanted to get done before Christmas and Victoire had the stomach flu. It seemed like tonight those two would be giving each other their Christmas presents early.

"How's Gabrielle?" Albus dad asked about Aunt Fleur's younger sister. Gabrielle still lived in the south of France and spoke very poor English. Albus and the rest of his siblings had never met her, but they had heard all they ever needed to know about her through the family gossip.

"Oh, wonderful! Just wonderful!" Aunt Fleur exclaimed as she rummaged through her purse. "She and Henri just 'ad zheir baby!"

"Another one?" Uncle Ron muttered under his breath before Aunt Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "I mean, how wonderful!"

This story had been one that Albus and the rest of his cousins had all heard many times before. Gabrielle had met a wealthy man named Henri Octave, and married him almost the instant she graduated from Beauxbatons.

Henri's chief obsession was to have a son, someone to carry on their family name and become an heir to his business. It was an obsession that could probably be considered legendary, for Albus had never heard words on the couple and had them not been accompanied by the talk of pregnancy or babies. However, all those years of trying had only led to Aunt Fleur's nieces: Yvette, Sabine, Claire, Felice, and Jacqueline; all just as much Veelas as their mother.

"You're one to talk," Aunt Hermione hissed, "Mr. Sixth-out-of-seven-children." This time, it was Uncle Ron's turn to shush the words against the younger Delacour girl.

"Dad says if they have one more, they will be able to have their own Quidditch team!" Hugo piped up before anyone could cover his mouth. Even if Aunt Fleur hadn't heard anything said about her sister up until that point, she had most certainly heard that.

"What's this I'm hearing about Quidditch teams?" another voice came from the entryway, offering a most welcome distraction. "Has another member of the Weasley family been drafted to the professional league?"

Aunt Angelina emerged into the entryway, large flakes from the outside snow flurry contrasting deeply against her dark hair. She had achieved the impossible by managing to slip into Number Twelve Grimmauld Place completely unnoticed, even by Kreacher. It wasn't very long before Uncle George and their children rushed out from behind her.

"Oh, let me see!" Roxanne ran over to the women gathered around the photograph. "I want to see the new baby!"

Even with his mother, Lily, three aunts, and three pushy female cousins that included Rose, Albus was still able to catch his own glimpse of the photograph — Gabrielle holding a little baby that had the tiniest bit of silvery blond fuzz on her head. Standing beside her was a dark-haired man, Henri, and all around were their five other daughters, all with their mother's Veela beauty.

"Yes, leetle Eponine Bernadette Octave." Fleur beamed.

"Oh, another girl?" observed Albus' mother. "I thought for sure they were having a boy this time."

"Well, remember, Ginny," Aunt Fleur reminded her, "leetle Claire was suppozed to be a boy too."

"So no heir for the Octave family name," Aunt Angelina said bluntly with an indifferent shrug of her shoulder.

"I'm certain they are happy to have another _healthy_ baby, aren't they?" Aunt Hermione argued for the defense of this new little niece.

"Yes, they all are," Aunt Fleur answered. "But I zuppose now zhey will try again for a boy."

"So they _will_ have a Quidditch team!" Hugo exclaimed, almost as excited as a child would be over Christmas presents. "Have they picked out a team name yet?"

Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron groaned and Aunt Fleur pursed her lips together, but the French swear words were clearly playing out in her mind.

"C'mon, Lily!" Hugo pulled on his cousin's hand. "Let's go think of a name!"

This time, it was Albus' parents' turn to groan and take their share of Aunt Fleur's silent wrath. But in time, the families settled in together and took joy in the Christmas spirit, not even remembering the so-called insults against Gabrielle Octave.

Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey did not arrive until much later, after the sun had gone down and the family was nearly done cleaning up after supper; most likely because of Uncle Percy's own design. By the time the couple, along with Molly and Lucy, came through the door, most of the family members were too exhausted to engage in the same previously exuberant greetings. Even Kreacher didn't bother to announce the family's arrival.

Uncle Percy always seemed to have a strained relationship with the rest of the Weasley clan, Albus had noticed. He often chose to sit on the outskirts of family gatherings, even when his own wife and daughters were more than willing to take part. The adults always insisted it was all in Albus' head, but none of them ever seemed to try very hard to discourage that thinking, and Uncle Percy never tried that hard to blend in from the outskirts either.

Then again, because Uncle Percy was so impossible to get close to, Albus couldn't really bring himself to care that deeply.

* * *

"Lily, it's time for bed." Albus heard as his dad finally put his foot down as he lifted his daughter up off the sofa, where she lay sprawled out, barely conscious.

"You too, Hugo," Aunt Hermione ordered, pulling her son to his feet.

"Nooooo," Lily complained into her father's shoulder. "We have to stay up and wait for Uncle Charlie!"

It was after midnight and, as always, Uncle Charlie was the only member of the family who had yet to arrive. In all honesty, Albus was so exhausted that he would have welcomed the chance to go to sleep, and his own desire to go to bed would probably help his dad reason Lily into joining him. But he wanted to stay up and see Uncle Charlie too.

"You'll see him in the morning," Aunt Hermione tried to reason with them.

"But I want to see him tonight!" Lily whined, even though it didn't seem like Aunt Hermione was addressing her specifically.

"_Yeah,_" came a teasing fake whine from the entryway. "_They want to see him tonight!_"

"Uncle Charlie!"

Hugo yanked himself away from his mother's hand and Lily kicked and struggled to be let down. All of the other previously exhausted cousins raced to push themselves to their feet and head for the door. Sure enough, fresh from the outside cold, was the famed Uncle Charlie.

Strewn across the entryway floor was enough winter clothing to keep an entire family warm. It wasn't exactly shocking, though, having to come all the way from Romania; and knowing Uncle Charlie, he was not one to elect taking the quick or traditional way of getting to London. Albus wouldn't have been shocked to learn Uncle Charlie had made the entire trip on a broomstick.

"Hey, all!" he greeted the family, frost still clinging to his beard. "What does a man have to do to get a hug from the children I don't have to feed?"

As usual, Lily and Hugo were the first to rush forwards and grant Uncle Charlie's request. This time, however, they were not the only ones to do so. Everyone, all the way up to Dominique, took their turn to hug Uncle Charlie. So rare were the chances to actually see him, that they all wanted to take full advantage.

"So…Charlie?" Fred began.

"What did you bring with you?" James finished.

At first, Uncle Charlie pretended to have no idea what his nephews were talking about, but the cousins all new better than that. Uncle Charlie missed all the children just as much as they missed him, and he always made sure to surprise them all with some elaborate gift or souvenir from his travels. It was simply a part of his nature.

"As a matter of fact," he finally let on, "I have a surprise for all of you."

All the young eyes gathered went aglow. Even Uncle Charlie seemed excited about the surprise this time, so it had to be good.

"Everyone wait here." Uncle Charlie held his hands up, holding the members of the family where they stood. "You're all going to be so shocked!"

Soon enough, Uncle Charlie was out the door, back out into the cold, where the 'surprise' was waiting.

"Are you all ready?" he asked through the closed door. "Alright!" Uncle Charlie threw the front door open and unveiled what he had brought back from Romania this time.

It was a woman, dark-eyed with stands of coffee-colored hair falling out from under the scarf wrapped around her head. Anxiously, she glanced up at the crowd of people and gave a shy smile as she clutched her coat tightly around her.

"This is Sorina, my wife."

The entire Weasley clan stood shocked completely stiff. _Wow!_ Albus thought silently to himself. As far as Uncle Charlie's surprises went, this most certainly had to be one of the big ones.

"I'm married," Uncle Charlie clarified, as though the family had misunderstood him. "To Sorina."

"Hei-llo," Sorina greeted them all in her thick Romanian accent.

Albus glanced around to get a look at how the rest of the family was taking the news. Grandmum Weasley's face contorted into a sort of odd expression and she went pale while Albus' grandfather kept pulling his glasses across the bridge of his nose, as though he wasn't sure they were working correctly. James and Fred stood with their mouths wide open as though they were catching flies, while the older girls all took their turns gossiping amongst one another. The adults seemed to alternate between expressions of shock, excitement, and appearing as though their brains were beginning to melt.

"Is something wrong?" Uncle Charlie asked, looking worried in a strange contrast to how ecstatic he had appeared before. "Mum, are you feeling alright?"

Grandmum Weasley's left eye had begun to twitch, worrying Albus a little bit as well.

"Charlie," Uncle Bill was the first to speak, "this is just…all…a really big shock."

"They mean we never would have thought you'd get married," Uncle George clarified.

This time, Ginny was the one to chastise the words of the Weasley men through a smack on the head. But Uncle George was never one to be a quick learner.

"To something that wasn't a Romanian Longhorn," he was able to finish, earning him another smack, this time from his wife.

The woman, Sorina, whispered to Uncle Charlie in Romanian, sounding slightly worried, but Charlie answered back in a more confident tone, something that caused Sorina to laugh. Eventually, he joined her and the two of them giggled together in a manner that seemed for fitting on a pair of lovesick teenagers.

Suddenly, a whining voice complained from out in the street in a foreign language that Albus could only assume was Romanian as well. The woman, Sorina, hissed out into the darkness in the same language, but it accomplished nothing. Two smaller bodies stepped out of the street and onto the steps, bundled in heavy coats, scarves, hats, and gloves, but still slivering from the cold. Upon closer examination, Albus could see that both children had the same eyes as the Sorina woman, with dark hair of their own peeking through their winter wrappings.

"Something else you would like to share weeth us, Charlie?" Aunt Fleur asked.

Charlie abandoned laughing with his wife (_That certainly felt strange to think,_ Albus thought to himself) to look behind him, suddenly remembering who else he had left waiting outside to meet the family.

"Did I mention I am now a father as well?"

The two teenagers pulled their scarves from their faces and inhaled deeply, as though the wool had kept them from breathing. But they soon remembered the cold and the reason for them in the first place and held them back up against their skin.

"From my first marriage," Sorina explained, as though she wasn't sure her husband's family would understand that themselves.

"This is Hendric, he's fourteen," Charlie introduced the older boy, before moving onto the smaller girl. "And here is Stela, twelve. They're Sorina's children. And I guess they're mine now too."

The boy pulled his scarf away once again. "I ahm very excited to-oo be meeting family of Charlie," the boy, Hendric, addressed the family in a thick accent that matched his mother's. "He is goo-d man to my mah-ther."

He draped his scarf over his arm and then pulled off his hat too, revealing a messy mop of dark hair and a very handsome face. Albus felt it odd to think that this strange new boy was now a member of his family, especially since Hendric seemed as far from being a Weasley physically as could possibly be. Albus also couldn't help but notice the faint blush creeping into Dominique's cheeks.

"Well, it's wonderful to meet you, Hendric." Grandpa Weasley was the first to speak, extending a firm handshake to the young boy. "And it's very nice to meet you too, Stela."

Stela offered a kind, yet confused smile, much like her mother's, but still remained silent.

"Um," Charlie explained, taking a hold of Stela's shoulders, "Stela doesn't know a lot of English yet."

"She struggle with it," Hendric explained further. "Not me."

Sorina scolded her son in Romanian, and Stela laughed. Uncle Charlie chuckled as well before finally saying, "Well, Mum, are you going to let your newest grandchildren stand out in the cold to freeze to death?"

"You heard him, Molly," Granddad Weasley said. "Your grandchildren are going to catch their deaths if they are left out in the streets for much longer. And Charlie has probably spent the entire trek from Romania telling them about your famous hot chocolate."

Stela's ears perked, indicating that if she knew any words in English, 'hot chocolate' were two of them.

"Yes, Grandmah-ther Weasley," she exclaimed, words broken, but intent perfectly clear. "Yes, haat-choco-lot, pleeese, yes, Grandmah-ther."

Grandmum Weasley, at Stela's excited, but broken English, finally seemed to take on a more normal, welcoming expression. "Well, come on in out of the cold, every last one of you!"

Charlie ushered his 'children' in from the street and they both threw their winter clothing on top of Charlie's, their mother rolling her eyes at the mess they made. Now the cousins could see Stela's face as well. She was quite pretty, even if she did seem to have a little trouble looking people in the eye. Dominique was still blushing; her face starting to look even redder than it had been before as she continued to look at Hendric.

"I personally think it's great." Albus' dad was the first to comment on Charlie and Sorina. "Marriage will be good for you, Charlie."

"Yes," Albus' mum agreed. "Come in, Sorina. You all must be starving, and we can warm you up some food."

"Grandmah-ther Weasley hat-choco-lot?" Stela asked, appearing quite insistent.

"Sure, why not?" Albus' father said. "But first things first…" He lifted Lily up off the floor. "Alright then, lovely. You've seen Uncle Charlie, and now it is time for bed."

"You're not making Albus and James go to bed!" Lily complained.

Hugo tried arguing the same complaint using Rose, and then began listing off the rest of the cousins until his own fatigue made him lose track by the time he got to Lucy.

"They will be following you up soon enough, along with the rest of the brood," her father assured her. "Unfortunately, one of the downsides of being the youngest in any family means you are the first off to bed."

Lily and Hugo groaned, but eventually made their way up the staircase, grumbling to themselves and one another the whole way.

"The rest of you better be off soon," their dad told the rest of the children. "Lily is going to hold me to my word."

Albus looked around the room. He knew that the rest of his cousins would definitely not pass up the opportunity to get to know their new relatives. But tonight, Albus was simply too tired to take part in any of the family drama. He didn't wait more than a minute or so to follow the two younger children up to bed.

The Potter children so rarely stayed at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, that none of them had their own rooms within the house. Instead, all the children would crowd into the largest bedroom; which felt as though it must have been a nursery at some point. Pillows and blankets were spread across the floor, nearly to the point of carpeting, and the cousins would attempt to sleep; feet in one another's faces, Louis' legendary snoring, and between a dozen different sleep schedules, no one getting a decent nights rest.

Albus wouldn't have traded it for anything. Besides, it had become something of a Christmas tradition to watch the sunrise on Christmas morning and the holiday begin, even if he was the only one who observed it every year.

* * *

"Mmmm," Rose hummed as she turned her head to him. "That was a good Christmas, wasn't it, Albus?"

The Weasley family Christmas this year was every bit as loud and chaotic as it was every other year. Lily and Hugo tore at their presents like a pair of piranhas and for all the threats in hopes of instilling good behavior, and James actually had gotten get a new broom for Christmas: a Nimbus 6LK — a swift model that had just come out last year.

"Bad idea, Harry," Uncle Ron had said. "Those Nimbus models are cursed. Don't you remember how your old Nimbus met its end courtesy of the Whomping Willow?"

"It was given a proper Viking end to its Quidditch days," Albus' mother had joked.

Rose was given book after book after book, which Aunt Hermione scolded the family for, assuming just because her daughter wasn't a Gryffindor, that she would be one to lock herself in a tower with a stack of books and never have any fun. Uncle Ron then reminded her that it wasn't because Rose was a Ravenclaw, but because she was Aunt Hermione's daughter. Rose laughed and Albus found himself chuckling as well. _Oh, if only the family knew what their Ravenclaw Rose did do in her spare time!_

Albus was a difficult person to buy presents for, or so everyone said, so he received his usual eclectic mix of gifts: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a copy of _An Illustrated Guide to Dragons of the World_, a Muggle toy called 'walkie-talkies' that Granddad Weasley had seen in London and couldn't resist, and a half dozen other odd bobbles. Strangely enough, his favorite gift was his yearly Weasley jumper, which this year was made from red and gold yarn. Rose's jumper had a change in color too — blue and bronze. Albus couldn't help but give his brother a smirk, his own jumper was the same usual brown.

Hendric and Stela didn't take any time at all to fit in with the rest of the Weasley grandchildren, even if Stela's own limited English kept her at a bit of an arm's length. And as shocked as Grandmum Weasley had been when she had first met her newest grandchildren, she now doted on them almost more than Albus thought was possible. Eventually, she even fretted that she didn't have any jumpers to give to the newcomers.

Dominique, who was normally never one to try and use her Veela heritage on the male of the species, was suddenly giving it all she had in an attempt to get Hendric to pay attention to her. But fifteen years of disuse only made her appear ridiculous to the rest of the cousins. Uncle Bill was constantly reminding people that his girls were only one-eighth Veela, and therefore did not have the same power to turn men into drooling idiots, although that never seemed to stop Victoire.

It most certainly didn't stop Dominique from trying her best to tap into that part of her psyche.

"Yeah," Albus agreed, "it's hard to believe it's already over, and everyone's going home tomorrow."

"So, don't forget," Rose reminded him, propping herself up. "Your job over the holidays is to find the _Marauders' Map_ and the Invisibility Cloak."

Then came the proverbial pin drop. Rose had yet to mention the Arcane ScoRA, or plans, or Scorpius Malfoy, or anything relating to any of them for the whole holiday. She had waited until Christmas day was nearly over, taking a break from all they had been doing all these past months, before getting back to business. If Albus had known from the beginning that was her plan, he would have done a lot more to enjoy the time that he didn't know was on a ticking clock.

"And your job is to search your mother's books and find out what is being used to provoke these attacks," Albus reminded her, maybe in some attempt to make it feel like he wasn't going to be going into the lion's den alone.

Rose nodded in agreement. "And Scorpius is listening on his father's conversation to find out what the professors aren't telling us."

_Yikes!_ Albus thought to himself. Having to spend Christmas spying on Lucius and Draco Malfoy, as well as however many former Death Eaters they would invite over for the holidays? Albus was beginning to believe he had gotten off easy. This was not going to be a very relaxing vacation for any of them.

_The Marauder's Map and his dad's Invisibility Cloak._ Rose had mentioned this before, but he hadn't been quite sure she was serious. James currently had the Map in his possession, hidden somewhere in a location that even the threat of his mother's wrath couldn't pry it out of him. He certainly wasn't going to easily tell Albus. And the Invisibility Cloak? After James had gotten a hold of the Map, their dad had realized that the Cloak would not be safe from his firstborn son either. His dad hadn't even told their mum where the Cloak was kept now.

"How about relax?" Albus suggested. "It's still technically Christmas for another two hours." And Albus wanted to enjoy it!

"Good idea," Rose agreed.

Finally, Rose reclined back against her pillows and let Albus have some peace,but it was only once everything was completely quiet that Albus suddenly remembered something else that was extremely important.

"Happy early twelfth birthday, Rose."

Rose smiled. Her birthday was December twenty-sixth, the day right after Christmas. Often times, everyone, including Rose, was too tired from the Christmas celebrations to do much to commemorate her growing another year older. She may have her favorite foods at dinner, and not have to do her chores, but Albus could never recall her having a large party or anything else many children simply assumed came along with having their birthday.

"Thanks, Albus."


	10. Chapter 10 A Cloak, a Map, and a Plan

Chapter 10  
A Cloak, a Map, and a Plan

As much as Albus missed Hogwarts, as well as Rose, and possibly even Scorpius, he had to admit it felt good to wake in his own bed, in his own room, and in his own house. Once Lily had finally been persuaded to move all of her dolls out of his bedroom, it was really quite relaxing and made the four walls surrounding him feel all the more like home.

For now, he was enjoying the ability to sleep-in and not be interrupted by his class schedule or the noises of his dormitory. But as with most good things, it was not to last.

After exactly three days of extended rest, the sound of a sharp tapping against a glass surface dragged the quite annoyed eleven-year-old out of his meaningful sleep. He was expecting to see Blyth arriving with a letter of some sort, but when he finally opened his eye, Albus observed that she was still asleep on her perch beside his desk. Instead, when he turned to his window, he saw Giuseppe, the owl the belonged to Rose's family.

The boreal owl's pecking soon became more frantic as she let Albus know she was not going to be able to stand the outside cold much longer. The bird swooped in past Albus' shoulder when the window was barely cracked open and an envelope dropped at his feet. He recognized the small, yet sloppy handwriting of one Rose Weasley, and had to force himself to pick up the letter and read what Rose had not stopped talking about since the night of the Erkling.

_Albus,_

_Don't forget: cloak and map._

_Rose_

Oh, how could he forget? Rose had only sent an owl reminding him of this every day since he'd arrived back in Godric's Hollow.

He could understand why Rose thought these things would be useful to the Arcane ScoRA. He had grown up hearing the same stories Rose did: the ones where his dad, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione would go on one adventure after another, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, supposedly the same one from the story of the Three Brothers in _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. They had also heard about how the less used Marauders Map had been invented by Albus' own grandfather and his friends, mostly used to sneak around the school corridors late at night.

This was the exact reason James wanted the map in the first place and why their dad saw fit to keep the cloak hidden, so the Potter children would never be able to get their hands on it.

The only problem was that he had no idea where to start looking. He most certainly couldn't _ask_ where these things were hidden.

"Alright." Albus turned to Giuseppe has though he might have an answer for him. "Where do we start?"

But the boreal owl's tawny face didn't so much as twitch in a change of expression.

"Fair enough," Albus relented. "_I'll_ look for it."

Giuseppe spread one of his wings and began cleaning his feathers. "Right, then. Back to it!"

And as though Giuseppe believed Albus was speaking to him, he turned up his other wing and went back to grooming.

* * *

"Alright, I'm heading out." Albus' dad wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed himself away from the table. "All of you, behave for your mum today."

With the Christmas holidays still going on and the entire family home together, things had gone back to the way they were before any of the Potter children had begun attending Hogwarts. Their mum would make big breakfasts of bacon and fried eggs, and the whole family would sit and eat together. Their mum would tell her brood secrets about the current Quidditch season, James would be throwing bits of toast at Albus when neither of their parents were looking, and Lily would usually be whining or begging for one thing or another. Truth be told, things had not change all that much while James had been away the past two years, save for the fact the Albus no longer had to clean food crumbs out of his hair.

Albus wondered what life was like for Lily, being the only child in their home for most of the year, the last of the Potter children, as well as the only girl. It had to be much more different from when he had been home with her as well. She was more than likely indulged a bit more than she already was with her brothers home and she wouldn't have to share the attention or the limelight: two things she thrived in. The time Albus and James spent at home would more than likely be torture for their little sister.

"Will you be home early tonight, Daddy?" Lily asked.

Her father shook his head as he stood to his feet. "Sadly, Dark magic does not take a break for the holidays, lovely," he confessed. "I'm going to have a lot of catch-up work to do starting today."

This was something quite ordinary too. All of the Potter children knew that their dad loved to spend time with them, but as Head of the Auror Office, he could never stay away from his work for very long. Whenever he _did_ take an extended leave from his work, he would almost always have to spend days where he couldn't come home at all; he would be just be completely swamped beneath all the work that had to be done.

Albus' dad kissed his mum goodbye, withJames making gagging sounds in the background the whole time. He then proceeded to give a parting hug to each of his children, making sure to give James and extra tight, extra long punishment hug.

"Bye, Dad," Albus called out to his dad just before he stepped out the door to Apparate.

"Don't be gone too long!" their mother called out of the cracked kitchen window to their father.

"I'll try." His voice was sympathetic, but held no promises. And with a familiar _snap_ that came with Apparating, Albus' dad was gone, for who knew how long. Albus watched his mother release a long sigh and then whip out her wand to get rid of the breakfast dishes.

"Alright," she finally said, "James, Albus, I believe Hogwarts still hands out homework over the holidays. Why don't you get a start on it? Lily, you still have to do some reading before the end of the week. Now would be a good time to get a start on it."

And with that, the three Potter children were sent away. Lily whined, James muttered that their mum was probably more interested in getting rid of them than she was about their studies, and Albus pondered how he was going to get the map from his brother and the cloak from his father, his stomach churning nervously the whole time.

Almost no school work got completed on Albus' part. Throughout the day, he would sneak away from his desk in an attempt to complete his so-called mission, but his mother always seamed to be right in the way of wherever he tried to get to: always just around the corner from him, or in the room that had no door for him to hide behind. James had already shown Albus how little latitude they would be given in wandering away from their studies that day…

"Mum," James had asked while their mother was mulling over some notes from last week's Quidditch match, "can I take the Floo to go visit Logan?"

_Please, say yes,_ Albus found himself thinking frantically from his perch on the bottom few stairs. _Please, please, please, please, please!_ If James was out of the house, Albus could at least search his brother's room for the Marauder's Map, even though he doubted James would be hiding it in his closet or under his bed.

Their mother twirled her quill in her hand while she contemplated the request. "How much homework do you have for the holiday?" she finally asked.

"Not a lot," James responded.

The boys' mother gave James a doubtfully stern look, showing that she did not entirely trust his judgment.

"History of Magic… and some Charms," he listed off. "And a composition for Transfiguration, and then there's Divination, and Potions, and…"

James' voice trailed off as Albus made his way back up the stairs and back to the homework waiting for him in his bedroom.

Behind the closed door, he was quite sure he could hear a few swear words lacing his brother's language. He found himself silently cursing the rejected request as well. If James had only been allowed to leave the house, it would have made his search so much easier. At least he probably wouldn't have the constant stomach ache coming from the fear that James might pounce down his neck at any moment. Sure, he would still have to keep watch to make sure his mum and Lily didn't notice any odd behavior, but at least James wouldn't be able to guard the map.

So Albus spent much of his afternoon with his anxious mind going back and forth between what Rose would do to him if he didn't give her what she wanted, and the pile of homework that seemed so much more intimidating than it had been when it had first been assigned. Tedious exercises for Charms, Transfiguration readings that might as well have been in Sanskrit, and some particularly unpleasant essays for History of Magic and Potions. Professor Patil let her former Ravenclaw colors show through by expecting an oral presentation on a specific dark creature from each student, and Professor Longbottom may have been a kind teacher, but that by no means made his class an easy one. Everyone in the class was expected to find five plants around their homes that had magical potencies to them, and hand in a composition on them. And the winter season creating an impossibility to simply go outside and list the first varieties of vegetation: that just added some _real_ work to the task.

"Children, I have to run to the _Prophet_ office for an hour. Don't break anything while I'm gone," Albus heard his mother shout.

Once Albus heard this, he could feel a smile spreading across his face. He knew exactly what would happen as soon as his mother left the house. Grinning, he turned back to his Charms exercises and kept his ears open, listing to his mother Disapparating from the backyard. He then waited for the telltale sound of the Floo Network's whoosh, and he knew that James had snuck out to see his friend.

With a flourish of the wrist, Albus dropped his quill to his desktop and shoved the chair away. He felt a lot more confident with his mission now, even though just sneaking into the room right next door would hardly be considered dangerous by most people. Even Albus was willing to admit it was a little ridiculous—the way he was slinking along the wall as though he were in one of the Muggle spy movies that he saw at Rose's house from time to time. But he was caught up in the moment.

"Albus!" came a piercing shriek that nearly made Albus tumble to the floor.

It was Lily, hanging from the stair banister. Her large brown eyes shifted back and forth between her brother and the door. A sly smile was spreading over her lips and a knowing glint graced her expression.

"Albus, what are you doing?" she asked him in a taunting tone

"Nothing!" Albus hissed. "Go away!"

But his younger sister did not budge. Lily swayed back and forth on the balls of her feet. Albus should have known better than to think Lily would leave just because he'd told her. Snooping was just as much of her nature as having red hair or breathing, and it was not something she would abandon very easily.

"If you're not doing anything, why are you so angry?" she asked, smirk growing more distinct over her lips. "Why do you want to go into James' room?"

"I don't!"

Albus watched as his sister blinked and continued to sway. "You certainly don't seem too eager to leave," she pointed out.

"Go!" he shouted.

This time, it was Lily who nearly stumbled to the floor from the shock of the volume that came from her sibling. Big, fat tears began to well up in her bright brown eyes, but Albus wasn't fazed. This was a common trick his little sister pulled; as the youngest, she believed if she could just make herself look pitiful enough, she could get her way on just about anything. It still worked on occasion with their parents, but Albus and James had had it used against them far too many times to let it affect them in any way.

"Mummy!" she screeched, as though she didn't remember her mother wasn't even home. "Albus yelled at me."

Albus shook his head, exasperated as he watched the little head of red hair flash off. Lily thought her acts were so cute, but they took almost no time to wear on his and James' nerves. Normally snapping and yelling was James' tactic to get their little sister to leave them alone, but it was something Albus had never done before. Even _he_ was a bit surprised about how he had just reacted to his little sister's behavior; Lily probably more so, and his actions probably gave her a real reason to throw such a fit.

For ages, Lily screeched and cried all through the house, sounding more and more like a banshee. It was almost as though she believed that if she didn't keep crying the way she did, she might not remember when their mother finally did come home. Albus slouched back against the wall and slowly sunk down to the floor, just waiting for his mother's prowling yell to summon him to apologize. Not once did Albus move from his spot, just staring out the wall in a meditative trance. He didn't think about homework, his family's artifacts, and especially not the Arcane ScoRA.

"ALBUS!" he finally heard his mother shout from the kitchen door. "Albus, get in here!"

_Why not?_ Albus thought to himself. _It's not as though I'm making any progress out here anyway._

* * *

"ALBUS!"

The shrill sound of his little sister was more than enough to bring Albus tumbling out of bed. Without waiting to be invited in, Lily poked her red-haired head in through a crack in the door. It seemed as though the transgressions of yesterday were completely forgotten. Albus had been sentenced to a vacation of not being allowed to leave the house for anything. Luckily, in the Potter and Weasley families, a loophole in any punishment was seen as open invitation. The children all thanked Uncle George for that particular reasoning.

"Mummy says you have to get up now," Lily told him, showing off how much more of a morning person she was than her brother. "Rose is coming to visit today."

And today, Rose would be the one taking advantage of that concept more so than Albus. It hadn't been till just before bed the night before that Albus learned his cousin would be making a social call, and his parents were hardly the type to turn away family because one of their children was being punished. He doubted Rose knew anything about his home confinement. More likely, when Rose did not receive a response telling her what she wanted to hear, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Breathing deeply, Albus rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his messier than usual hair. It couldn't be morning already! He had been asleep for more than ten hours, and all he wanted now was to take a twelve-hour nap. His head felt like it was spinning, his stomach was in knots, and there was a lump in his throat that felt like it had been stuck there for months. Albus couldn't believe all the stress all this mess was causing him. He was going to have an ulcer before he hit puberty!

"Albus!" his mother called him this time. "Get up and get dressed. Your cousin will be here any minute."

Reluctantly, Albus finally pushed himself out of bed and threw on yesterday's clothes, which were laying at his feet. He didn't even bother to tidy up his hair, knowing it would more than likely become an all-day chore. His mother didn't even chastise him for his sloppy appearance. In truth, Rose's arrival today probably had more to do with Hugo wanting company than Rose wanting to check up on him. Rose was being exchanged for Lily. It was a common practice between the two households, but some part of Albus' mind believed that this system was so at least one of the houses could be free of the hyperactive nine-year-olds, more than that Rose and Albus being complete terrors themselves.

"Albus!" he felt himself being tackled as Rose raced up from behind and hugged him tight. "C'mon, let's go upstairs."

Albus shook his head. He hadn't even heard the sounds of the Floo Network or the sudden silence that always came with the youngest of the Potter children disappearing from the house. He really was out of it from all the stress!

Rose, on the other hand, was alert and dragging Albus all along the way upstairs in the same manner she always did. She was behaving the exact same way that Albus had been—skulking around the house—but with a constant smile on her face. Rose wasn't bothered by stress. She _thrived_ on it.

Their final destination was Albus' bedroom. Any other time, Albus would have told himself that this was not the place to keep themselves safe from people poking their heads in, but even _that_ small task felt as though it would cause too much strain.

"So?" she asked him once she seemed sure all was still. "Did you…"

Albus shook his head, keeping his eyes on the floor. "No," he sighed.

Rose crossed her arms and pursed her lips. It was funny how all the Weasley woman, related or married in, seemed to have the exact same look whenever they were disappointed. "Well, I doubt he would have hidden it somewhere he wouldn't be able to get to it everyday; otherwise what's the point of having it?"

"But Mum and Dad know James' character better than anyone. If he were hiding something from them, they would do anything short of turning the house upside down to find it."

Rose was about the utter the same exasperated sigh that all the Weasley women had as well, when she was interrupted by a sharp tapping at the window. It was another owl, but this time, it was neither Blythe, nor Giuseppe. It was covered in smooth, dark brown feathers and was quite large; large enough appearing that it seemed as though it could easily carry a boxed human head across Britain. Today, however, all that seemed to be in its claws was an ordinary-sized envelope. Albus strained to open the window, but surprisingly, the large bird hardly needed any room at all to squeeze its way in.

"Whose owl is this?" Albus asked Rose as the creature swooped down on his bureau.

"I dunno," she replied. "I don't recognize it."

Carefully, not knowing how friendly this strange owl would be, Albus took the envelope from its beak. The flap was seal with a bit of deep blue wax, but it had no address, no handwriting, nor anything else that would offer a clue as to who sent it. Except for the weight, Albus might have thought someone had just pulled the envelope new out of the box and sent it off.

"Well, open it!" Rose shouted. "See who it's from."

Obediently, Albus tore at the envelope and extracted the crisp parchment.

_Albus,_

_I have a feeling Rose will be visiting you at some point over the holiday, so make sure you show this to her. I would have written to both of you, but I can't shake the feeling that any letter arriving from a Malfoy would spontaneously combust on impact with any place inhabited by a Weasley. Also, make sure Rose knows that last sentence was just a joke, and that she doesn't take it too personally._

_I hope you both are having a nice holiday, but knowing Rose, you are both already back to work. And I can't very well have you two getting ahead of me and making me look like the lazy member of our organization._

_My parents even invited some of our professors to the party: Professor Vhartan, Professor Dugan, Madam Wood and her husband. Please note that they are teachers of some of our most difficult classes and leaders of the school Quidditch league. I've barely been a Hogwarts student for four months and they are already trying to make connections for me. Oddly enough, though, it seemed to be all too perfect; people with the best connections to the inner workings of the school locked in the same room with my parents and grandparents who could pry Ministry secrets out of an Auror?_

_Unfortunately, none of it sounded remotely useful to anything we need to know. Professor Vhartan made it clear that she did not need to be bribed to raise my Potions grade—I happen to be doing quite well. Professor Dugan went on and on about some archeological dig that he and his son went on in Northern Ireland, saying almost nothing about school; and Madam Wood offered my dad some predictions on future prospective on players for the Slytherin team and who are going to need to be replaced soon._

_I did try a couple times to turn the direction of the conversation towards the creature infestations, but they wouldn't say anything about it to me. They would all dismiss it, and once my mother even told me 'not to bring up unpleasant topics over the holidays._

_Scorpius_

Albus looked to his side to Rose with her chin nearly resting on his shoulder. Her expression twitched as she finished reading the letter herself.

"He wasn't serious, Rose," Albus said.

"I know that!" Rose snapped, her freckled face turning slightly red. "Malfoy-boy isn't going to be much use to us, it seems."

"He's trying," Albus offered.

"Which is why we need to try all the more harder," Rose told him. "We need to step up our game, and find those family relics of yours."

Albus groaned, suddenly feeling completely exhausted. "Rose, I've already spent the better part of a week turning the house upside down looking for where James hid the Marauders' Map. I haven't even thought about where my dad has the Invisibility Cloak."

Albus expected his cousin to flash her Weasley disapproval at him again, but instead, without warning, she grabbed his arm and once again proceeded to drag him behind her like a rag doll. Out of his room and to their left: it didn't take very long for Albus to realize Rose was taking him right into the pit of the beast: James' room.

"Rose!" he hissed.

Spooked, Rose looked over her shoulders. Finally, she leaned in and began whispering to her cousin.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"I _live_ in this house," he told his cousin. "If these things were anywhere even near here, don't you think I may have stumbled upon them? And I've spent my entire holiday paying even more attention to every little detail I see!"

Rose shook her head again, but this time, her expression held a soft smile and an insufferable-know-it-all look in her eyes.

"Albus, your brother is not a smart person," she explained, "and you've been over-thinking his ability to keep secrets."

Albus raised a confused eyebrow. He wasn't quite sure what Rose was getting at.

"You just have to put yourself in your brother's head," she told him. "C'mon."

Rose led Albus the last few steps down the hall and right through James' bedroom door, as through she had every right in the world.

James' room was a sloppy, disorganized mess with dirty socks decorating most pieces of furniture. Red and gold Gryffindor banners and grey Falmouth Falcon posters covered nearly every inch of the wall. The desk, however, was the one piece of furniture that was completely neat and clean, probably only because it was almost never used. Even the books were still stacked in a perfect little column and the quills and ink in a neat row.

"What are you two doing?"

It was James, leaning against the doorframe, tapping his fingers against his arm. Albus hadn't even checked to see what his older brother would be doing today. He couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to even allow Rose into his older brother's room. If she didn't end up paying for this grave sin, Albus would.

"This is _my_ room. What makes you two think you're allowed in here?"

"Go away!" Rose snapped.

James jumped at the rage of his fiery cousin and scrambled to race out of the room.

Albus was starting to believe that James was afraid of her. It was no secret around the school that Ravenclaw was the best house to be in for learning hexes; and the older students would often share techniques with the younger ones. For a small moment, Albus almost wished he had been Sorted into Ravenclaw as well, so that James would exhibit the exact same fear towards him.

"Now, as I was saying." Rose calmed herself and returned her voice to a level tone. "When you want to find something hidden by someone of…below-average intelligence, sometimes the best bet is to look in the most obvious place where someone would hide something.

"Here." Rose stopped him. "I'll do it."

Slowly, patiently, Rose strolled across the floor, taking everything in. Several Falcons players on the numerous posters were holding their brooms like weapons, and watched Rose, looking as though they were nearly ready to spring off the paper and attack. Within a matter of moments, Rose reached James' unmade bed, teetering back and forth on her heels, as though even she wasn't even quite sure of what she was about to do.

And without explaining her actions, Rose stuck her hand underneath the mattress and began fishing.

"Hello," she piped. "Look what I just found!"

Rose pulled out her arm, and clenched in her fingers was an old, frayed edge piece of parchment. "I think we have a map here. Like I said, your brother is not a smart person. The next time you need to find something he has, just try looking in the most obvious place."

Rose stopped for a moment to consider what she had just proposed to her cousin. She suddenly shuddered. "Just make sure you're ready for anything else you might find."

Albus was still skeptical. "But we don't even know if this is the right parchment!" He wouldn't have trusted what his cousin had just found to have any magic in it whatsoever. It just looked like an old, ratty piece of parchment: he doubted he would even be able to write a school assignment on it.

"Don't you remember all the stories Uncle George told us about this thing?" Rose asked him. "The map stays invisible until you recite the secret phrase. _I solemnly swear I'm up to no good._"

Without even really thinking, Albus reached into his trouser pocket and extracted his wand. He didn't have any logical reason to carry it around with him outside of school, and was soon sternly reminded why.

"Idiot!" Rose shrieked, yanking the rod from his hand. "You can't use it here! If you use your wand, the Ministry will know in an instant and send an owl right to your parents! How secret will the Arcane ScoRA be after that?"

Albus felt like they had just run around in a giant circle. "Then how do we know if it's really the map?"

"We're just going to have to wait until we get back to Hogwarts to find out for certain," Rose said. "I'll keep it with me until then. If James catches you with it, I don't know if I can guarantee your safety. All you have to do now," she added as she folded the parchment and placed it safely in her pocket, "is get your dad's cloak."

Albus found himself unable to focus on achieving the rest of his mission. He just kept staring at his cousin who still seemed quite relaxed.

"What?" she quipped, when she finally noticed him staring.

"You don't feel the least bit guilty about stealing?"

"Your brother stole the map from your dad," she clarified, "and now we have it. Because it was already stolen to begin with, none of the blame can be placed on our heads."

Rose's explanation strangely made Albus a lot less guilty. Normally, he could not be talked out of beating himself over for even the smallest behavioral infractions. But as he thought about the reasoning even more, his guilt was soon replaced by a terrifying epiphany.

"Oh, Merlin…"

"What?" she asked him again.

"I'm my brother!" Albus exclaimed, becoming angry when Rose answered with laughter. "It's not funny!"

* * *

Rose left with the Marauders' Map just after the sun went down, leaving Albus with what he believed to be the more difficult of his two missions. Now that he thought about it, finding something James was trying to hide _was_ easy. But there was no possible way his dad could be so easily figured out. The man was the Head of the Auror Office, responsible for tracking down the most evil wizards in the world.

Albus stopped himself; he was doing it again. He tried not to over-think the location of the cloak and just do what Rose said: put himself inside his dad's head.

_Okay,_ Albus thought to himself. _I'm my dad. I'm Harry Potter. I'm away from home most of the day, and my firstborn son cannot be trusted to keep his hands off potentially self-damaging family relics. I need a place to keep it safe, somewhere I know it won't fall into the wrong hands while I'm off keeping the world safe from dark wizards and other things that go bump in the night._

Albus paced back and forth as he continued to imagine himself inside his father's head.

"Obvious, obvious…" Albus muttered to himself.

All these mutterings led him down the stairs, past the boarded up, under-the-stairs cupboard (which had been that way ever since he could remember), and to the tall hallway cupboard—the one his parents would hide their birthday presents and taken-away toys when the Potter children were younger. But eventually, the three of them had realized that they could find anything they needed in this particular cupboard, and their parents hadn't hidden anything inside it for years.

_Obvious…_

_It couldn't be that easy, could it?_ Albus thought to himself.

Yet just as he turned his head, a flash caught his eye. A fold of silvery material glinted from between a stack of boxes. It was clear that someone had wanted to hide it some time ago, but years of being ignored had allowed it the opportunity to creep further and further into sight, until it could not be overlooked anymore.

"Merlin, he didn't!" Albus exclaimed in a hushed tone. He look over each shoulder several time before he finally felt safe enough to reach up and slowly ease the material inch by inch out from its hiding place. Once he had it, he carefully unfolded the slick material which spread out to become a very large cloak; plenty large enough to hide at least three people beneath it.

_The most obvious place…_ Albus almost laughed to himself had he held the cloak in his hands. The shiny material was slippery in his fingers. _I guess James had to get it from somewhere._

Albus felt almost tempted to slip the cloak on over his head and take it around the house for test run. But instead, he held the cloak tightly to his chest and walked sideways against the wall so no one could see what he was carrying until he reached the bathroom. He locked the door tightly behind him and headed over to the long mirror hanging above the sink. He couldn't fight his own curiosity anymore, and added with feeling that he was in the only truly safe room in the house, he unfurled the fabric and threw it around his shoulders.

His entire body was gone! He was nothing but a floating head, like some image out of a horror story. Everything covered by the cloak was completely see-through. It was exciting, and a little bit scary at the same time.

Suddenly, a fierce pounding hammered against the bathroom door. "Albus, let me in!"

It was Lily. Of course, she would be able to track him down at the exact moment he would get in the most trouble if their parents saw him.

"Go away, Lily!" Albus shouted at his little sister.

"Albus, let your sister in the bathroom!" his mother ordered.

His mother was there too? The universe just _wanted_ him to be locked in his room until he was an old man!

"I'm sick!" he improvised. He faked a few good lurching sounds just for good measure.

Once he was finished, his mother's voice became thick with sympathy. "Oh, are you feeling poorly?"

"I don't know." Even Albus could tell that sounded like a lie, so he faked a few more lurches to cover it up.

"Do you want supper?"

"No," he answered his mother, trying to groan a little bit as he spoke. "Maybe later."

"Okay, I'll leave you alone then."

_Wow_ Albus thought to himself. Turning into James was not nearly as difficult as it looked.

"But Mummy, I still need to use the bathroom!" Lily whined.

"You can use the downstairs bathroom," Albus' mum told her sternly.

* * *

Albus stayed in the bathroom for hours, after supper was over and even after the rest of the family had gone to bed. His mother had come to check on him every hour or so, worried, but still respecting Albus' wishes for her to stay out. And also probably because she was a bit afraid of what she might see as soon as she opened the door.

It was a good thing Albus was not the type to become easily distracted or bored, or keeping himself locked in this room would have driven him insane. Every now and then, he would stand up and take a look at his floating head in the mirror, but he spent most of the evening sitting on the slippery tile floor. At least it wasn't as cold as it once was.

"Albus," he heard from the other side of the door. "Albus, are you feeling well?"

It was his dad, finally home from work. He couldn't even clearly recall the last time he had seen his father for an extended period over the past few days. He felt a little sad that their first meaningful conversation in days was coming through a solid wood door.

"I have a stomach ache," Albus answered, trying to sound as pitiful as possible. "I threw up."

_Wow, this works,_ he thought to himself. _No wonder Lily won't give it up._

Except now he was turning into both of his siblings.

"Do need me to get you anything?" his father asked him. "I know you kids don't really trust my potion making skills, but I can look through the books and see if I can brew up anything that can make you feel better."

"No!" Albus gasped. Even if he really were dying, he knew better than to swallow any potion his dad had brewed. He could still remember the incident when he was five and his dad had tried to brew a potion to cure James' hiccups—his face turned lime green for a week.

"Alright," Albus' dad said with a slight chuckle. "Do you at least want me to stay up with you for a little while?"

"No, go to bed," Albus assured him. "I'll be fine."

"Very well," his dad said, his feet starting to shuffle away. "I'll buy you something from the Apothecary tomorrow."

It probably wouldn't be a good idea to take anything for a stomach ache, but Albus still appreciated the gesture. And he wasn't exactly worried about being found out for faking his sickness and anything else that might come from it. With his family believing he had been just on the edge of death the night before, no one would think anything of him spending the entire day in bed tomorrow. Another good hour of silence, and Albus really was starting to feel himself go insane, and was finally ready to go to bed. He knew he made a huge racket as he raced across the hall and threw his door open, slamming the knob against the wall.

Even after he had his bedroom door slammed shut behind him, he could still feel his heart pounding out of his chest. Once he was finally able to catch his breath, he exhumed the cloak from beneath his jumper, fining it slightly soaked with sweat. He could hardly believe it. _I got it,_ he thought to himself, _I actually got the Invisibility Cloak!_

As he slid to the floor with his back against the door, he was soon reminded of even more stories his family had told him. He thought of his dad's first year of school where he'd snuck a baby dragon egg out of the school and went sneaking into the Restricted Section of the library. He had also used the cloak to spy on the teachers, creep through the corridors. Having adventures upon adventures, upon adventures.

Rose and Albus and their activities in his own home could hardly be described as dangerous, but they carried the same feel with them that the stories his dad and aunts and uncles told.

It wasn't his brother he was becoming more like.

"I'm turning into my dad!" Right down to the sense that he was trying to save the world at age eleven, regardless of whether or not there was really anything to save it from.

But unlike the previous thought, this one did not disturb him in the least.


	11. Chapter 11 The Quintaped

Chapter 11  
The Quintaped

The train ride back to Hogwarts was far quieter than the ride to Kings Cross for the holidays had been. The Weasley clan had split up for this ride, and Scorpius was nowhere to be found; not that either Albus or Rose suggested looking for him. They ended up sharing a compartment with a group of Hufflepuff third-years who seemed too exhausted to notice the two cousins anyway. Not even Rose seemed to be in the mood for conversation; she didn't even have the energy to read. Instead, she stared passed Albus and out the window, in a matter that Albus could remember doing himself back in September.

The train station outside the school was still covered in snow and ice, but the wind was still, making it far less miserable. The staff waiting there for them, though, seemed eager to get everyone inside the castle as soon as possible, ushering the students into carriages drawn by the Thestrals that Albus could not see. The teachers had not needed to stay for long when the students had left for the holidays, and they didn't seem eager to stay outside for very long now that they were back.

The inside of the castle was a fair bit colder than usual from not as many fires needing to be lit. The corridors were also densely crowded and extremely noisy from the immense number of students all there at once. It all carried over into the Gryffindor common room, even gaining more intensity: the space was smaller, tighter, and all the old friends were rushing up to one another, knocking Albus this way and that. And for growing up in such a large extended family, Albus found himself completely overwhelmed by it all, being the first student to run up to the dormitories.

Upstairs, all the trucks were in place, the beds were made, and the chamber was as spotless as it had been the first night at Hogwarts. Taking a seat on his four-post bed, Albus couldn't help but notice how incredibly at home he felt now that he was back at school. Time after time, he had heard his dad say that as a child, Hogwarts was more of a home to him than where he had spent the first ten years of his life. Everyone said it was because the school was the school was the first real family he had ever known, but now Albus was beginning to think it wasn't just his dad. He, his brother, and his older cousins had spent so much time within these walls, it was only natural that they would come to think of Hogwarts as a second home.

Albus himself had only been living at the wizarding school for a few months. He wondered how he would come to see this place once he neared the end of his education.

"Hey, Albus!"

The dormitory door swung open and several of his roommates burst through: Riley, Damien, and Gavin. Simon Henry was happily missing from the group. Over the past semester, Albus had come to deeply dislike the haughty, over-opinionated Gryffindor.

Immediately, all the Gryffindor boys began rushing up to one another and bombarding each other with questions. A few of them rushed to their trunks, which were already there waiting for them, and began extracting various Christmas gifts They too were making themselves at home once again in the school dormitory.

"—all would laugh so hard!"

"What about you, Albus?" Gavin asked. "What did you do with your holiday?"

Albus shrugged. "My family came over for Christmas, just the same as they do every year. The rest of the holiday I just spent recovering from the school year."

"My family went up to the Laplands," Leo said. "That's where the Father Christmas legend started, you know. My little sisters loved it."

"What are their names again?" Gavin asked.

"Paula and Samantha," Leo answered, still going through his trunk.

"Do you think any of them will get into Hogwarts too?"

"I don't know," Leo said. "I hope so. I've never seen either of them do anything magic yet, though."

"If they're still young, it could still happen," Damien assured him.

Albus watched the conversation, but feeling more like an observer than an actual participant. After all these months of attending school, he still didn't feel like he really bonded with his roommates. But he also hadn't noticed quite how much until this moment in time. Before, even with Rose or Scorpius, he would at least have a half-dozen cousins in the house common room to talk to anytime he wanted. But in the class of first-year Gryffindors, Albus was all by himself.

That at-home feeling Albus had held before was starting to slip away.

* * *

The first day of resumed classes started late with Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. Even with the late start, most of the students sat slumped over in their seats, groggy and not wanting to be out of bed. Rose walked into the classroom, alone among the Ravenclaws, but with her head held high in a new sort of pride that had not been there last semester. She also appeared happier to be in class that Albus had ever seen her before. It gave a feeling of relief to Albus. Even if everything else was a mess for him at school, at least Rose was finally content.

The students settled into their seats, as they did before every class, some chatting with their neighbors and others racing to finish their homework that would soon be collected. But Albus, along with a few others in the class, were staring up at the clock. Eventually, more students shifted their eyes to the large grandfather clock, and the overall mood in the room became more and more unsettling. Professor Dugan had never once been late for class the whole school year, and sternly punished any student who was. But now their Transfiguration teacher was five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes late, without even a note on the chalkboard explaining why or any prefects in the halls to let them know that something was going on.

But the person standing at the front of the class could in no way be mistaken for Professor Dugan. It was a woman with wrinkles and numerous streaks of grey running through her black hair, but despite her age, she still somehow managed to hold herself straight and tall, like a river reed.

In a prompt manner, she made her way to the front of the classroom, the few students she made eye contact with cringing in their seats. When she reached the chalkboard, she began scrawling in white script without so much as a word to the confused students. Finally, without warning, she spun around on the balls of her feet and told the children all she believed they needed to know.

"My name is Professor McGonagall. I retired from this teaching post years ago, but I will be teaching it again today. I will not tolerate behavior going on behind my back that might suggest that I do not know what I am doing or that you believe you have nothing more you need to learn about Transfiguration. Just to warn you, I will not hesitate to send away anyone who disobeys these rules. I will not have the entire student body suffer because of a handful of unruly students."

The class nodded along in a quiet murmur.

"Very well. Let's get to work," this Professor McGonagall woman said, turning back to the chalkboard. "We have a lot of material to cover today."

The substitute teacher began scrolling a long listed of complicated notes on the board. She wrote them so fast and in such large quantity, Albus was certain that she would soon run out of room. But this was not the chief worry in the classroom. A collection of worried faces, tapping fingernails, and jiggling feet, all posing the same question: 'Where is Professor Dugan?' They had never had a substitute teacher in this class, or any class. Even the first-years who had older brothers and sisters couldn't recall an instance where a teaching substitute needed to be called in. And what was so important that as studious a teacher as Professor Dugan would miss class?

Everyone wondered this, but they were all too afraid to ask.

Finally, Ruby Paddock, one of the Gryffindors, raised her hand, though her shoulders shook and she appeared as though she were going to burst into tears at any moment.

"Yes?" Professor McGonagall asked as she sidestepped her way to Professor Dugan's desk and picked up a yellowed piece of parchment. "Miss…Paddock, do you have a question about the material?"

"N-no," Ruby stuttered and took a deep breath. "Where is Professor Dugan?"

A good number of students flinched as they waited for the answer. But Professor McGonagall did not snap or yell, though she did appear a fair bit annoyed.

"Professor Dugan has been called away on personal business," she told them, "and may, in fact, be away for some time. And that will be the last question I will allow outside the subject of Transfiguration."

Behind Albus, a tall blond boy named Kian raised his hand. "Is Professor Dugan away because of something that has to do with Transfiguration?"

A mix of snickers and gasps echoed through the room, along with some rather loud grumbles from Professor McGonagall about 'Ravenclaw smart-mouths'. But Kian had followed the exact guidelines that Professor McGonagall had laid out for them, so he couldn't even get in trouble. It must have been good to know everything.

"Professor Dugan is away on personal business and that is exactly how it is going to stay: personal," Professor McGonagall replied as she began pacing through the aisles of chairs. "I know very few details of his absence, but I am certain your teacher would not appreciate me divulging all his private information to the student body. Now I will edit my previous statement to include that no questions will be allowed that have anything to do with your Transfiguration teacher. Any questions you _do_ have about why your professor is gone, you may ask Professor Dugan himself when he finally gets back."

"So without further a due," she said, stopping at Kian's seat to grace him with a stern look, "let's get started on what you all actually came here to study."

And then, the new teacher turned her back to the back-row students and walked back to the chalkboard. "And since Mr. Carmichael has shown me you all have such a curious nature, I think you should all be given the opportunity to express it. I expect a sixteen inch composition on today's lecture topic. Neatness and spelling both count."

There was not a single body that didn't groan at that sentence, save for Professor McGonagall, who was becoming the victim of a sly smile creeping its way across her face.

"You all better get used to it," she said to them as she turned to write more notes yet on the board. "There is a good possibility we will be working together for a long time."

* * *

Professor McGonagall did not lie. She was their Transfiguration teacher for one week, then two weeks, and three weeks, with no sign of Professor Dugan returning any time soon. And the students were all beginning to miss him more than any of them could have ever imagined; not because they actually cared for their old teacher, but because Professor McGonagall was so much stricter with the students, in matters of both schoolwork and behavior, than Professor Dugan could have ever hoped to be.

And apparently the first-years were nowhere near up to the standards she would have expected by now, so she was especially hard on them. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius had not once had time to see each other since they got back to school. The three of them were all hauled up in their common rooms every night of the week studying the piles of reading and working their ways through the feet and feet of compositions they had to hand in. The boys in Albus' dormitory actually looked forward to their bedtime now, for it was the only relief they knew from the hard days' work.

One afternoon, however, they received a shocking bit of news from Professor McGonagall.

"Next week, there will be no Transfiguration classes, but I expect you to all be wise enough to still use the time you would normally spend in this classroom to study and come back ready to work the week after."

"Why isn't there going to be…" Leo began to ask, but his voice trailed off as Professor McGonagall began to stare him down. Eventually, his raised hand sunk back down to his side and he shrunk into his chair, pitiful-looking as a whipped puppy.

Of course, though, after so many weeks of hard labor, the students were certainly not going to spend their short freedom on _more_ Transfiguration. Most students had barely stepped out into the corridor when they began making plans for how they were going to enjoy the free afternoons that were coming to them. Albus might have been able to come up with a few pleasurable activities himself, but Rose had other plans in mind.

"Albus!" She raced up behind him after class was over. "Albus, you get back here!"

In eleven-and-a-half years of life had taught him one thing, it was that Rose Weasley was not dangerous to him. Rose was dangerous to James, Fred, sometimes Louis, Dominique, maybe Hendric too. Still, Albus himself had nothing to worry about from his wild, sometime manic cousin.

At least unless she wanted something.

Which she did at this moment in time.

Which he was painfully reminded of when Rose grabbed at the hood of his robes, causing him to choke as the rest of his body wanted to keep moving forward.

"Albus, are you brain dead?" Rose exclaimed. "This is just the opportunity we have been looking for! Slytherins won't have Transfiguration next week either, which means we will actually have time to meet with Scorpius, and he will have time to meet with us."

"Great," Albus answered, suddenly swept with a desire to get away from the Transfiguration classroom as soon as possible. "Find out when the Slytherins have Transfiguration, and we can meet him then."

But when Albus tried to get away, Rose grabbed at his robes and stopped him once again. Clearly, she still had more to say. "I don't have the patience for that at the moment, Albus. We have time now. We will go down to the Slytherin dormitories _now_."

Albus groaned and watched the rest of his classmates run off ahead of him. He would not be joining them any time soon.

"You do know what we have to do? Right, Albus?" Rose asked him.

"No, but I have a feeling I don't need to know, because you'll be telling me all about it the whole way there."

Knowing better than to resist his cousin, he simply held out his scarlet hood so that Rose could drag him once again. Rose glared at her cousin as though she believe he was being condescending towards her, but it still didn't stop her from grabbing at his offered robes. She dragged him down the familiar route to the dungeon level of the castle, with the stone walls becoming gradually damper the further down they went.

Even though it was in an opposite direction from the Potions classrooms, the way they were going was still familiar to Albus from the first time he and Rose had ventured there. But before, they had just been wandering around outside the entrance. Albus was certain what Rose was proposing this time was that they go in themselves, even though she hadn't said it. There was certainly no possibility that any of the Slytherins were simply going to allow them inside.

"The password is Severus," Rose said to him once they stopped at a section of the stone wall that really didn't look any different than any other along the corridor, "and you have to say it directly to the key stone." To illustrate, Rose herself locked eyes on one of the stones and shouted, "Severus!"

Albus was about to tell his cousin what exactly he thought about this plan, when she turned and flashed him with a look informing him that he better not. A Weasley woman death glare was more than enough for Albus to take a hint and start looking himself.

"Severus," he said at barely a whisper. Nothing.

"Severus!" Rose shouted at yet another stone.

"Severus!" Albus took his turn.

Albus could only imagine how ridiculous the pair of them looked right about now, each of them taking turns screaming the same word at the wall. Mercifully, the corridor was empty, or Albus was certain every passing person would be staring at them as though they were mad.

Albus was about to suggest calling it quits when he spotted something on one of the lower stones: a perfect insignia of the Slytherin crest carved right into the rock. The tiny symbol rested just below eye level, so it was easy to see how someone just glancing could miss it.

"Rose, look at this."

Rose turned her head, but Albus didn't wait for her to verbally respond. "Severus," he breathed, keeping his eyes on the carved crest.

When the stone suddenly shifted, Albus yelped in shock as Rose's mouth hung wide open. They couldn't believe they actually did it, and with no prefects, no Slytherins, or even guard trolls to stop them.

As they made their way through the entry corridor, they couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. The Slytherin dormitories were no-man's land for the Weasley and Potter clans. Neither Albus nor Rose could recall anyone in their families actually being Sorted here. The dim green light up ahead had an ominous feel to it, given the reasoning they had grown up with.

Even once they got into the common room, they went more or less unnoticed. Students cluttered around the stone fireplace on emerald-green sofas and high backed chairs, lit by green lamps. Further back, more students studied and wrote compositions on polished ebony tables and chairs. One entire wall alternated between stone columns and a solid pane of glass that protected the dungeons from being flooded by the Black Lake.

And sitting at one of the polished black tables, staring out the massive window into the lake, was Scorpius Malfoy. Like a good little Transfiguration student, his schoolbooks were laying open with a composition book beside him and a quill in his hand. However, he did not seem to be very devoted to them, instead staring out the window and chuckling at the Grindylow who would occasionally slam against the glass, trying to attack the students.

Albus and Rose both raced their way across the common room, finally drawing the attention of a few prying Slytherins.

"Scorpius!" Rose shouted. "Scorpius Malfoy!"

Scorpius looked away from the window and whoever it was he was expecting to see, it certainly wasn't the two of them. He looked up at them as though he had just swallowed a hot coal.

"There you are!" Rose exclaimed, taking up an empty seat beside a shocked-looking third-year girl. "Do you have any idea how long it has been since we have seen each other?"

Scorpius stared up at Albus, who was still standing up behind his cousin, as though Scorpius were looking for some clue as to how to act. "A few weeks," Scorpius answered. "I've been really busy. Professor McGonagall has us doing a lot of studying. There are Hufflepuffs that she pesters through the whole class."

Albus and I know that!" Rose retorted. "We take Transfiguration too! And I can't believe you're making excuses!"

Feeling a bit awkward about the argument Rose was instigating, Albus turned away and looked across the Slytherin common room. _Now_ the entire room was noticing the two intruders in their dormitory. Albus wondered exactly how many students outside the house of Slytherin had ever been inside the common room invited (though technically he and Rose hadn't been either).

Officially, there were no real rules saying the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw _couldn't_ be in the Slytherin common room, and there was no punishment in place for anyone who did manage to get into a common room that wasn't theirs. The school had passwords, riddles, and hidden doors to keep outsiders out, and anyone who actually did manage to get passed all those things…well, no one had really taken the time to think about it.

"Weasley!" Scorpius suddenly hissed, bringing Albus back to the scene in front of him. "Maybe here isn't the best place to have this discussion."

Scorpius gestured around the room, showing the two cousins just how many people were staring at them. This wouldn't be the best place to hold a meeting for a 'secret' society.

"Alright." Rose stood to her feet. "Let's go then."

She didn't grab Albus by the hood this time. The three of them walked out of the common room in a little cluster while the eyes of every student there rested on them. Scorpius and Rose, however, walked head in head, as though all the staring bodies around them weren't even there.

* * *

"Is this far away and secluded enough for you?"

The threesome had been wandering for ages. Going through different corridors, twists and turns, and finally taking refuge in a little alcove in a hall that none of them had ever been to before. With the changing staircases, though, and hundreds of doors, it was not a difficult thing to do.

Scorpius looked around the empty corridor and finally offered a quiet nod, showing he approved.

"Do you think Moaning Myrtle will be upset that we had a meeting without her?" Albus asked in a joking manner. Scorpius and Rose looked at him with complete seriousness. Neither of them appeared to be in the mood for humor. The two of them took their seats on the floor, and slowly, Albus slunk down to sit beside them.

Did you learn anything?" Scorpius was the first to speak. "Do have any clues?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing. None of my mother's books mentioned anything that sounded remotely similar to what's happening with all these creatures now. I even tried another run at the school library this morning before breakfast. Still nothing."

Scorpius snorted and rolled his eyes. "A lot of use _you_ made of your time off!"

_Oh,_ that was a big mistake, Albus knew. No one in their own family dared to take that kind of tone with Rose anymore, for fear of her wrath. Scorpius was still too much of a stranger to know that about her, but that most certainly did not mean he would be spared.

"You're one to talk!" Rose snipped back at him. "Tell me, did you make a lot of lovely connections at your parents' party while you were doing nothing to help the Arcane ScoRA?"

Scorpius was about to answer back, but then looked as though he thought better of it, mostly likely also meaning he had nothing to offer either. A small trace of a triumphant smile spread its way across Rose's expression.

"But Albus had some excellent luck," Rose said with wide grin.

"Really?" Scorpius perked up, excited to learn that their time away from school had not been a complete waste. "What did you get: the cloak or the map?"

"Both," Albus answered, starting to feel quite please with himself.

Scorpius' eyes became large and buggy. "Show me!" he demanded.

Remembering the book bag still over his shoulder, Albus tore the flap open and spilled its contents out onto the floor. He didn't know what had made him think to pack both of his artifacts up in his bag, likely because he still had a few anxieties about leaving these things out of his constant guard.

The cloak was slightly wrinkled now from being crumpled under all his textbooks, but it still had its slippery, silvery luster. The supposed map, however, still resembled nothing more than an ancient piece of parchment. There was absolutely nothing extraordinary about it, and it was the first object that Scorpius went for.

"So," he mulled, turning the parchment over and over in his hands, "how do we see the map?"

"There's an incantation for that," Rose told him before turning to her cousin. "Albus?"

Albus extracted his wand from his pocket and pointed the tip directly at the center. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Slowly, swirls of ink enveloped the parchment.

"Look, there's Professor Branstone in the next hall over,"

"I say we take them out for a test run," Scorpius proposed with a raised eyebrow and a shift in his glance. "And I think I have just the perfect mission."

* * *

"This hardly seems like a worthy use of the Arcane ScoRA's efforts," Rose grumbled to the two boys sneaking in front of her.

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius were all hiding underneath the cloak, taking turns between stepping on each other's feet and tripping over the excess fabric of the cloak. Back in the damp dungeons, the hem was quickly becoming wet, and the material did not smell very nice.

"Rose, concerned with school rules?" Albus exclaimed, shocked that he had actually an opening to be so sarcastic. "Be careful. People might begin to mistake you for Aunt Hermione."

"I couldn't care less about the school rules. I am equal member of this organization too!" Rose snapped, insulted. "I just don't think the Arcane ScoRA needs to be wasting its time on something as stupid as hiding a broomstick!

"Why do you even need this broom here anyway?" she carried on. "Can't you just use one of the school ones without needing to skulk around the corridors in the middle of the night?"

Albus gaped. He wasn't so much a Quidditch enthusiast as the rest of his family, but he knew a good broom when he saw one. "It's not just any broomstick, Rose!" Albus reprimanded her. "Tell her, Scorpius!"

And so Scorpius explained it to her. "This isn't just any broom, Rose! This is the Thisher100, the fastest Quidditch broom on the market right now! It'd barely been out for a week by the time Christmas came around. And even then, it was hardly in any shops. I still don't know how my father managed to get his hands on one."

Albus thought Scorpius had made an excellent argument, but still, Rose rolled her eyes at the boys and their brooms.

"Anyway," Scorpius continued, "he wanted me to have a decent broom to practice on before Quidditch tryouts next year. Jocelyn's graduating, and they're going to need a replacement Seeker. If I want to do well, I need to get used to practicing on the broom I'll be using when I try out."

When they neared the classroom, Albus stalled the group so he would have time to check around a corner. There was no sign of anyone, not even Peeves or the Bloody Baron, so Albus rushed them the rest of the way.

"Jocelyn's already been helping me practice every holiday since I was old enough to fly a real broom. But with this, I'm really going to race. I just need to keep in a place where no one will see it."

"Can't you just hide it under your bed?" Rose asked, annoyed. "Surely that would be much simpler than all this!"

"I don't trust any of the Slytherins enough to keep it in the dormitory," Scorpius said. "The first time any one of them get in trouble, they'll turn me over in exchange for leniency. I don't have to worry about Albus turning me over to Professor Hardarse."

Rose still didn't seem convinced, but she also didn't make any more arguments about turning back or about the idiocy of what they were doing. Most likely, she just wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible before any of them were caught.

Besides, they were already in the Potions classroom.

Albus pulled the cloak off of their heads and allowed everyone a few breaths of fresh air. Not very much, though, because Scorpius rushed straight for the Potions lockers, with Rose and Albus following closely behind him. It was a risky move for Scorpius, hiding the broom in the classroom. The lockers were certainly tall enough to hold the broom, still with plenty of room for their potion ingredients. But still, it would have been very easy for a passing pair of eyes to glance into Scorpius locker and see the object that every first-year in the school was forbidden from having. And not all of them could be as trusted to keep their mouths shut as Albus could.

Although Albus wondered if Professor Vhartan was the type of person who would be capable of torturing a student for information.

While Scorpius was rummaging through the Potions locker, Albus became more and more aware of heavy breathing. His own breaths were short and shallow, Rose's breaths whistled through her nose, signaling the beginning of a cold, and Scorpius was too far away for his breathing to be that loud.

It was a giant spider, except it wasn't. It had five large, beefy legs surrounding a circular body. It was covered with reddish-brown hair that, oddly enough, reminded him of Rose. The creature lowered its leg and Albus was able to see a face resting on top of the disk-shaped body: close-set, beady black eyes and long mouth with glinting dagger-like teeth. With its face in the direct line of Albus', he could feel the creatures hot breath moving his hear and smell the stench of blood and raw meat.

"Sc-scorpius…" Albus struggled to stammer. "Rose…"

Scorpius and Rose spun around fast, leading Albus to wish he had also warned them not to make any sudden movement. But as soon as those two saw the creature as well, they went completely silent, their eyes large and their legs shaking. Scorpius' hands trembled to the point where even his broom was shaking, and Rose occasionally made small, squeaking noises as she breathed.

The creature shifting from side to side on its club feet, drool beginning to drip from its mouth, but it didn't attack.

"Ro—"

Don't…move…" Rose interrupted. If we run, it will only chase us."

As though the creature had actually understood Rose, it bent its legs in the matter that Albus had seen on cats getting ready to pounce.

"FLY!" Scorpius shouted, grabbing Rose by the hand and mounting his new broom.

With no room to hold Albus, he instead leapt off to the side while Scorpius and Rose went up, with the creature pouncing just in time to crash face first into the stone wall. While the monster was still dazed, Albus scrambled to crawl across the floor to the cupboards against the far wall. He crawled inside and closed the door behind him just after hearing the creature's clubbed feet patter across the floor once again.

The inside of the cupboard was pitch black and Albus could feel the top of his head becoming damp (at least now he knew where the dripping noise was coming from). After a few moments, it finally dawned on him that he was a wizard and he didn't have to sit in the dark if he didn't want to.

Albus shook his head at his own dimness as he pulled his wand from his pocket. "_Lumos._"

Outside, crashes and shouting, as well as the whooshing of an extremely fast broom, could clearly be heard. But Albus could not be tempted to leave his hiding place for fear that the monster might be just outside the tiny door. Some Gryffindor he was! Cowering cramped in a small cupboard while his friends were just outside, racing for their lives. It was pathetic.

Albus was soon distracted from these thoughts, however, by a sharp pain across the palm of his hand. When he pointed his wand down, he saw he had rested his hand right over a broken glass phial. He held his hand up to examine the wound; a large piece of glass was still caught part-way under his skin. As he clenched his teeth, pulling it out, he hoped there had been no potion residue on that phial, especially nothing toxic or otherwise dangerous.

It was at that same time the glass was finally pulled out that Albus' idea came to him. Outside, he could still hear Scorpius and Rose racing around on that broom. He had actually come up with a plan before his cousin did. This really was a strange night.

But for this plan to work, he would need to get to Professor Vhartan's potion stores without getting eaten. Hopefully, Scorpius and Rose would still be alive and able to provide a distraction. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Albus gently pushed the cupboard door open and peeked out.

The classroom was a mess. The tables lay in splintered fragments and the chairs had been scattered across all corners of the room. The instruments and assorted phials that had been stacked on top of the cupboards had been swept onto the floor with bits of broken glass and metal everywhere. Albus cringed. Crawling would definitely not be an option this time.

"Albus!"

The familiar voice of his cousin hissed to him above his head. Albus looked up through the cracked cupboard door to see Rose and Scorpius floating directly above him. Scorpius offered a 'shush' sign and then pointed to a far, dark corner of the room. There the creature was, searching through a pile of broken wood. When Albus looked closer, he could see Scorpius' black cloak resting among the pile. It must have been just enough of a scent to make the monster believe that Scorpius and Rose were hiding there.

"I have an idea," Albus whispered to Scorpius and Rose, "to stop that thing for good."

Scorpius looked around the room at the broken pieces of wood. Simply locking the creature in the classroom would not be a solution for very long. He looked back down and nodded to let Albus know he was listening.

"But I need you and Rose to keep that thing away from me long enough for me to get to Professor Vhartan's store cupboard."

"Are you mad?" Rose exclaimed, but still keeping her voice low. "You haven't seen how past this thing can move, Albus. We have barely been able to keep out of its clutches. You won't make it before it gets you!"

Scorpius, however, had a different opinion. "My broom, my decision, Weasley!"

And with that, Scorpius raced off once again without even waiting to hear what Rose had to say about it. Her piercing shriek that followed proved to be just the distraction Albus needed to keep the club-footed creature's attention. Without taking time to think, he threw the cupboard door open and made a mad dash for the potion stores. Halfway there, he became aware of that same heavy patter coming up from behind him growing louder and louder. Albus knew the creature was gaining on him, but could not force himself to glance over his shoulder to see how much so.

Finally, Albus reached the door, ducking inside and throwing it open all in one motion. He fell to the floor with the door slamming at his feet, almost as though by itself. A rather loud groan on the other side allowed Albus to allude to what might have happened: he had thrown the door open right in the creature's face and the force of the impact had thrown the door back to close, latch and all.

As he listened to the club-footed stumbling, Albus allowed himself a few moments to gasp for his breath. Even though it had only been for a short distance, Albus didn't think he had ever run so fast in his life.

But once the stumbling noises stopped, Albus reminded himself of his friends still out in the classroom, and he forced himself to his feet. In a rushed manner, he looked over the labels, thanking Merlin that, at the very least, Professor Vhartan had very neat print. He read over potions to cure boils, stomach pains, skin rashes; all in small doses. Albus doubted anything that small would do anything to affect the gigantic beast outside. So instead, he chose to focus his attention on the largest phials in the stores and work his way down.

After some time, Albus came across a large phial labeled 'Draught of the Living Dead'. He could remember from Professor Vhartan's lecture that it was one of the most potent sleeping potions in the world, though he could not figure out why Professor Vhartan would need it in such large volume. The sound of more splintering wood outside told Albus he could ponder the notion later. He grabbed the phial, needing both hands to grip it. He ran back to the door and opened it at a crack at first to see how close he may come to being eaten.

Outside, the five-footed monster seemed to have recovered from the blow Albus had given it and was chasing Scorpius and Rose around the room at top speed. Rose had her eyes squeezed shut and was holding both arms tightly around Scorpius' midsection. Scorpius still appeared in good stamina, though the pressure on his abdomen seemed to be giving him some trouble with his breathing.

"Scorpius!" Albus shouted, being passed the point of worrying whether or not the beast heard him. "Over here!"

In a flash, it seemed, Scorpius was at the door, floating a yard or so above Albus' head. Opening the door slightly further, Albus showed them the phial he had clutched against his chest. "It's a sleeping potion," he told them. "More than enough to knock that thing out."

"Weasley!" Scorpius shouted over his shoulder. "Grab the phial!"

Rose whined and shook her head, not even wanting to open her eyes. "Can't you do it?"

"I'm steering!" Scorpius snapped.

It was at that point that the beast noticed them once again and raced across the room towards them once again.

"Rose, now!" Albus prompted, throwing the phial up in the air.

Through some miracle, Rose opened her eyes just in time to grab her phial before it fell back to the stone floor. It was also at that point that the club-foot creature was within grabbing distance of the three children. Scorpius flew up to the ceiling and Albus slammed the stores door shut. The door shook when the beast slammed against it, the force of it throwing Albus onto his back. There were a few key bones in sharp pain, but Albus somehow pushed himself to his feet. He cracked the door open so he could watch the scene from behind a safe barrier.

"Rose, its mouth is open!" Scorpius said as the beast snapped at their dangling feet. "Throw the phial in!"

"Can't you…" Rose began, but her voice trailed off when Scorpius glanced over his shoulder to glare at her. So instead, she stared down at the beast, watching it snap its jaws at them, as though timing for the perfect opportunity to throw the phial.

Finally, with more force than Albus knew his cousin was capable of, she threw the phial into the monster's gaping mouth, the sound of shattering glass signally a direct hit. At first, the potion didn't appear to have any effect on the beast, as it continued to chase Scorpius and Rose in laps around the classroom. But soon enough, its pace began to slow and its movements became more wobbly. Eventually, it got to the point where anyone moving at a brisk walk could have outrun it.

Slowly, Albus crept out of the potion stores, kicking the door open wide and walking sidestep against the wall. Scorpius took the opportunity to fly, much more slowly, into Albus' previous hiding place. The beast followed them, but was barely three steps in when it collapsed to the floor. From where Albus stood, he could hear the creature snoring loudly.

As Albus' eyes wandered, he noticed spots of blood across the floor and on the door to the potion stores. Remembering his cut, Albus looked down to see his palm covered with dry and drying blood.

"Shouldn't we do something? You know, maybe get this thing out of the school somehow?"

"No," Scorpius said, shaking his head violently from side to side. "A whole phial, and one that size; that thing will be out for days. I say we leave it a surprise for Professor Hardarse and let her worry about it."

"Sound like a plan," Rose agreed, ducking back underneath the Invisibility Cloak. "Albus, c'mon!"

And again, Albus was dragged by his collar away from the scene and out of the dungeon.

* * *

"Ow!" Albus hissed as Scorpius poured more of the stinging yellow potion over his hand.

"Quiet!" Scorpius snapped as he pressed the hem of Albus' sleeve to the cut in order to lessen the pain.

There were certainly much easier (and less painful) ways of healing a cut, but they all knew full well they could not go to Madam Pomfrey with Albus' cut along with a very convincing lie about how he got it. They would have to wait until morning. In the mean time, Albus would just have to have his cut cleaned and protected by means that anyone could manage. Luckily, Professor Vhartan had a supply of bandages and cleaning solution in her desk for all the students who were injured in her class.

Albus, however, was unsure of how he felt about the Slytherin boy tending to his injured hand. He would have felt much safer if his cousin did it, but Rose was in no position to tend to his cut. She had completely absorbed into a copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, which Scorpius had also found in Professor Vhartan's desk. She was obsessed with trying to find the name of the creature that had just rampaged through the Potions classroom.

"I can't believe we nearly died in there!" Albus was still gasping to catch his breath.

"I can't believe your cousin is still able to read after we nearly died in there!" Scorpius said, more to Albus, but still loud enough so that Rose could hear it. Rose glared over in his direction, but Scorpius ignored her and instead began wrapping the bandage in a somewhat clumsy manner around Albus' hand. So still glowering, Rose allowed her eyes to slip back down to her book.

Hiding beneath the Invisibility Cloak, they sat in a tight circle in a tiny alcove near the staircase. The close proximity felt safe. Albus wondered quietly to himself if this was the same hiding place they had been in early that afternoon.

Clutched in Rose's still trembling hands was a copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. She had been thumbing through the pages careful for the past half hour in an attempt to find out what it was they had just barely managed to escape from. A small part of Albus even doubted that the strange monster they had just seen could even be put in into the same category as the creatures they learned about in school. Five legs, fur, and probably taller than two of them standing on one another's shoulders; there was no possibility that there could be more than one of that…thing! It had to be some sort of freak of nature!

But then, as she was always able to do, Rose proved him wrong.

"Here!" She tapped the page sharply and held it up to the boys. "Quintaped. Look familiar?"

About halfway down the middle of the right page, a tiny little field sketch in the margin beside a heading marked 'Quintaped'. It was furry, five-legged, clubbed-footed, sharp-toothed and generally very ugly. But there was no room for any doubt that this was the exact creature they had just faced off against in the Potions classroom.

"The Quintaped," Rose took the book back and began reading aloud, "is a highly dangerous carnivorous beast with a particular taste for humans. Its low-slung body is covered with thick, reddish-brown hair…"

There was still more written after that, but in Albus' opinion, nothing that followed was really important. All he really felt he needed to know was that the…thing enjoyed eating humans and that wizard-kind had come to the conclusion that it was not very safe to be around.

As Rose went on, her face was quickly becoming whiter and whiter until Albus wasn't sure he could differentiate her from the Gray Lady. By the time she finally forced herself to close the book cover shut, her eyes were wide as they could get and her lower jaw was quivering.

"Boys," Rose said to the two of them, "do you have any idea how lucky we are to be alive?"

"You have to tell me?" Scorpius snapped. "_I_ was the one who kept us away from that thing and made sure we didn't fall backwards right into its mouth. But then again, you had your eyes closed the whole time, so you probably did notice!"

Albus had noticed that whenever Scorpius seemed to be under stress, he had a tendency let his anger out of check and his usually subtle snideness would become much, much more apparent. Unfortunately, Albus also knew Rose's reaction to yelling directed at her, so she yelled even louder, including a few certain new vocabulary words that Albus certainly hoped she hadn't been hearing in Ravenclaw. And so in turn, Scorpius screamed back at her, as though he were trying some petty little battle between the two of them.

"Quiet, the pair of you!" Albus shouted, not really out of desire to stop a fight, but more out of fear of having Scorpius angry while working so close to an injured part of Albus' body. Scorpius had still been working on tucking in the end piece of his bandage the whole time. When there was finally a few moments of silence, he was, at least, able to do it, making Albus feel a lot safer when the other boy finally let go of his hand.

"How did that thing even get to Hogwarts?" Scorpius brought up. "You said they only lived on that Drear Isle? Unless those things became world-class swimmers since the last edition of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, it has to be nearly impossible!"

"None of the creatures that have found their way into the school could have possibly been indigenous to this area," Rose countered. "Quintaped, Erkling, swarms of insects and insect-like creatures. I'm fairly certain that we've established that this is not happening by accident," she finished.

Albus had been relatively quiet in the conversation up until then, but his next sudden words were a shock, even to him.

"We should tell someone."

Scorpius and Rose both looked at Albus with the same expression of horror, as though he had suddenly grown a second head.

"Are you mad, Albus?" Scorpius asked. "Do you have any idea how deep it is we are into this right now? _We_ saw the Erkling and didn't tell anyone, we lied to Moaning Myrtle so she would tell anyone—"

"Although we _are_ something of a secret society now, so that part isn't exactly a lie anymore," Rose brought up.

Scorpius went on, "And to top it all off, we just came face to face with…" he struggled to remember the name again, "a Quintaped, and I am most certainly not going to go running to Professor Vhartan about it!"

"Forget all the trouble we could get into with the school and with our parents," Rose said to Albus. "Think of how miserable all those rats in the _Prophet_ would make our lives when word of this got out. It would be all over the headlines for weeks and we would likely never know peace for the rest of our lives!"

Albus could certainly understand his cousin's fear of the press. They had both her all too many stories about how the papers had followed their parents (Albus' dad especially) everywhere they went, and it made front page news every time 'the great Harry Potter' sneezed. It hardly seemed like torture when a person thought about it in their own heads, but to hear all their relatives describe it, a person might rather have their fingernails ripped out than allow the _Prophet_ to know any details of their private lives.

"No teachers," Scorpius stated sternly.

"No teachers," Albus and Rose repeated, Albus a bit less enthusiastically than his cousin.

* * *

As they passed the Slytherin dungeons, Scorpius dashed out from beneath the cloak and over to the stone wall that hid the entrance to his common room, taking the Marauders' Map with him. Albus and Rose didn't even stop running themselves when Scorpius parted from the group. They reached the Gryffindor tower before Ravenclaw, so Albus, somewhat reluctantly, left the cloak in Rose's care.

"Have a good sleep, Al," she said. "And don't you worry none."

One some level, Albus knew the cloak would be just as safe with Rose as with anyone else; safer, probably. James had to know the Marauders' Map was missing by now, and if he went looking for it in Albus things, which he surely would, then he would get his hands on the Invisibility Cloak as well. Ravenclaw Tower was probably the safest place in the world for the cloak now. James most certainly wasn't intelligent enough to solve the entrance riddles that the Ravenclaw students solved every day.

But he still could not ignore that pang in his stomach as he watched his cousin slip back underneath the material and heard her footsteps race down the corridor. Maybe it came from the place in his mind that still thought of these objects as his, and had observed that fact that he was the only one in the 'secret society' who didn't have one.


	12. Chapter 12 The Great Investigation

Chapter 12  
The Great Investigation

Unlike the morning after the Erkling attack, the school corridors seemed very calm and quiet. None of the students were scared or jumpy, leading Albus to believe no one in the student body knew. That was probably best, Rose had told the boys when she saw them a breakfast. _Think about how much panic a four-and-a-half-foot child-gobbler caused, how bad would things be if the student body learned that something truly dangerous had gotten into the school?_

Not to say that certain members of the student body weren't rattled by subjects other than invading beasts. Every since arriving back at Hogwarts, James and Fred both had been highly agitated over some issue they would not discuss with anyone. But with James' new-found paranoia and constantly sick expression, Albus could only venture to guess it had something to do with the newly missing Marauders Map; the _Marauders Map_, which was not so much lost as it was hidden securely in a certain trunk in the Slytherin dormitories, although it might as well have been on the moon for all the likelihood that the two cousins would ever stumble upon it. And Albus could not help but get a somewhat sick sense of satisfaction from this fact.

And Rose was having too much fun with this than was for her own good. But with the Ravenclaw common room and the fact that there were the impossible-for-James-and-Fred-to-solve riddles to keep her safe, she could probably be allowed a little more leniency than Albus would have been able to grant himself.

"James, Fred," she greeted them one morning, plunking herself down at the Gryffindor table, making herself quite comfortable, "how are things?"

The two cousins offered the girl a few indistinguishable grunts in reply, but with no real eye contact. They both stared into their breakfast plates, still looking just as ill as they had been for days.

"You two have been looking rather peaked lately," she went on, helping herself to their breakfast plates, an offence that normally would have led to one pulling back a bloody stump. "Would you like to tell your dear Cousin Rose about it?"

Fred twitched his head from side to side like an irritated cow, and James made a tiny series of squeaks, as though he were going to throw up.

Albus, however, was soon distracted by a certain Gryffindor taking his seat a few places down from him. Maddox Dugan exchanged greetings with the people around him, taking brief pauses to load his plate up with food. Nothing he said to anyone developed into a lasting conversation, though, and Maddox remained free to partake in any offered discussion.

On any secret society.

And with Rose completely wrapped up in her little game of 'Poke the Bears', now would be the perfect opportunity to ask without being caught. While Rose continued to amuse herself with her cousins' torment, Albus quietly slipped out of her sight and crept over to Maddox Dugan's side. He was so quiet about it, in fact, that even Maddox didn't notice him until Albus spoke up.

"Hi, Maddox," Albus greeted him.

The older Gryffindor jumped slightly at the suddenness of the greeting, but luckily, no one else at the table seemed to notice. "Oh! Hello, Little Potter!"

"Did you have a good holiday?" Albus asked, trying to keep the conversation light to start.

Maddox shrugged his shoulders. "Fair. And you?"

"Fair," Albus answered as well. "I feel almost more tired than I did when I left for the holidays."

"That can happen," Maddox acknowledged. "Especially at Christmas. Of course, Easter will hardly be a break either, with exams so close."

Albus nodded, although he wasn't really paying true attention to the advice. More that he was just waited for what felt like a suitable amount of time before asking what was truly on his mind.

"Well?"

Maddox looked up from his breakfast plate. "Well what, Little Potter?"

"Do you remember what I spoke to you about the night before we left for the holidays?"

Maddox toyed with his fork idly, as he tried to recall whatever it was Albus was referring to. But when it finally did hit him, it him hard. "_Oh_, that! Of course, that!"

Albus smiled to himself, happy that Maddox at least had taken the time to think about it, even if he hadn't given him an outright 'yes'.

"Yes, Albus," Maddox replied with a certain air of seriousness to his voice. "I have."

Albus became anxious to hear the answer. Maddox seemed to be dragging out his reply for as long as he possibly could. James liked to do that too from time to time, and so did a few of Albus' uncles. "Are you going to join us?" he asked. "You know; _join us_?"

Maddox set his fork down, shaking his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Albus, but I'm going to have to turn you down."

Albus bit down on the inside of his cheek and tried to nod, even though he felt as though he had been punched in the stomach.

"It seems like a cute little club and all, Albus," he said to him, "but I just don't know if you'll need my help. Nothing else has even happened lately that needs to be watched for."

Albus shifted his eyes down, trying not to feel offended.

"I know what's been happening lately has been scary," Maddox said, putting his hand on Albus' shoulder, as though trying to reassure him. "Even the older students have been scared too, I've heard them, so don't go thinking you're any less of a Gryffindor because you feel afraid."

_Oh_, Albus wished so badly he could tell Maddox about the Quintaped that had been in the Potions classroom only the night before. It was the most dangerous creature that had come into the school yet and quite possibly one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. If Maddox knew that the Arcane ScoRA had faced off against a creature like that and won, he would be on the floor begging to join. But he had already broken so many rules just by telling the older Gryffindor that the Arcane ScoRA _existed_, he couldn't risk telling him anymore.

Besides, if he said anything that even _sounded_ like Quintaped, he had little doubt that Rose would jump over the table and knock him to the ground just to keep him quiet.

"Personally, and I can't believe I'm saying this," Maddox went on, pushing himself up to his feet, "but getting back to class and your schoolwork would do you a world of good. Merlin, to have a Ravenclaw father!"

And with that, Maddox hoisted his book bag up over his shoulder and made his way to the Great Hall doors without so much as a backwards glance.

With the older Gryffindor gone, Albus turned his attention back to his breakfast, even though he wasn't exactly hungry anymore. As he thought about it, Albus began to understand the reasoning behind Maddox's decision, even if he didn't like it. The only reason he, Rose, and Scorpius were members of the society was because they were there when it had been formed. Maddox was either going to find the Arcane ScoRA cute, or horrifying. It was just that the older boy had helped Albus so much since the school year started that Albus thought, maybe he would be able to help the three of them with whatever snuck up on them next. The idea of what he and his friends had been doing, and would most likely continue to do, suddenly seemed so much more terrifying, even though nothing had really changed.

* * *

One day, just after the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had finished another one of their classes with the severely strict Professor McGonagall, Rose was leading Albus to the library, not to study, but just for a few moments peace. They had had more than enough schoolwork for one day, and it was still morning with two more classes and Potions for Albus still to come. He wondered if they were going to bother to find some chairs or if they were just going to collapse right onto the floor. But before they were even close, they heard something that made them instantly forget about their fatigue.

"How was your journey?" a voice said, squeaking on the last vowel.

"Very nice, thank you,"

Albus and Rose stopped in their tracks. They knew that the first voice they heard was that of Professor Flitwick from the distinctive squeak in his voice. The second was less so, sounding somewhat familiar, but more in the sense that one would hear the same type of voice a dozen times a day.

"Thank you so much for coming." They could recognize Professor Flitwick's high pitched tone much more easily now that the voices were coming closer. "We know it must not be easy given your wife's current condition."

"It's fine, really," a man's voice answered. "The Healer said at this point, it's still perfectly safe for Luna to travel."

Now it was obvious to them who the school's visitor was. The voice and the name were enough to give Albus a clue as who was about to follow Professor Flitwick around the corner.

"Loony!" the two of them screeched in unison.

They rushed up to the woman who was as good as family and hugged her on either side. They didn't really have another option; Luna stomach bulged beneath her robes, far too big for either of them even to reach her for a hug face to face. Her belly was not nearly as big as it had been when she was pregnant with her now three-year-old twins, Lorcan and Lysander, but Albus was certain that once James and Fred saw Luna, the jokes comparing her to snowmen and the planet Mercury would be flying back and forth.

And Luna apparently still had quite a few months to go before she gave birth. Albus wondered just how big her stomach would eventually get.

"Well, how lovely to see the two of you!" Luna remarked, her face glowing. "I believe you have just made my day!"

The two cousins just squeezed her tighter, Albus worried that she might just pop.

"What?" they suddenly heard Rolf say from behind. "Am I going to be ignored?"

"Hello, Rolf," Albus and Rose greeted Luna's husband, although neither of them broke their grip around Luna.

"It was wonderful to see you both," Rolf said as he walked past them, ruffling their hair. "But I really should keep up with your headmaster. I don't want to find out if he still holds power over the _former_ Ravenclaws." He said this with a slight tilt of his head toward his wife, but Luna ignored it. For right now, it seemed as though she wanted to devout all her attention to two of her honorary children.

"Have you seen your dads yet?" she asked them suddenly, the two children still draped over her.

Albus was confused. He released his hold on Luna and stepped back. "Our dads?"

"Well, they're here," Luna told them, now that Rose was letting go as well. "The entire Auror Office is here with them. They even had to bring in a fair amount of the Ministry's Hit Wizards as well."

"Why on earth would they need to do that?" she demanded.

Luna never did get the chance to answer Rose, though, because a pair of prefects came racing around the corner, appearing quite frantic.

"All students, please report back to their houses immediately," they took turns shouting. "All students, please report back to their houses immediately."

Luna stood to her feet, although she did it in a clumsy way. Even if she wasn't ready to give birth yet, she was definitely losing her center of gravity.

"We'll see you both later," Luna assured Albus and Rose, "The baby doesn't think this will take very long. Rose, you're a fellow Ravenclaw now. Why don't I walk with you to the tower? And Albus, you can walk with us for as long as you can."

Albus and Rose each took one of Luna's hands to help keep her steady on her feet as she walked across the uneven stone floors of the castle. All along the way, she tried to talk to them about their classes, creatures she and Rolf had seen on their latest expedition, her twins, the new baby, but Albus knew what she was really just trying to distract them. Luna was a lot more observant than most people gave her credit for, and she could obviously tell that telling the cousins that their fathers were in the school had disturbed them. Not because either of them were afraid they were in trouble, but because their fathers were both Aurors, charge by the Ministry to hunt down Dark wizards. And wherever they were, Dark magic was almost certainly nearby, especially on an unannounced visit.

* * *

After Albus had parted ways from Rose and Luna, he was left alone to contemplate what could possibly be going on. The invasions of beasts in the castle had been frightening, but Albus wasn't exactly sure it could be called Dark magic. Then again, there were a lot of things that Aurors knew that the rest of the Wizarding world didn't. Albus' dad and Uncle Ron didn't tell their families half the things they had done on any given work day. Who knew what kinds of people were really around today?

Albus clung to the banister as the stairs moved beneath him, carrying him straight to the entrance of the Gryffindor dormitories. The Fat Lady sat in her framed scene in her pink satin dress, waiting for all the Gryffindors who were coming back all at once.

"Password?" she asked Albus, peering over the top of his head, as though she were looking for more students.

"_Novus militia,_" Albus repeated the password in a distracted sort of way.

The frame swung open, revealing the entrance to Gryffindor. A few other students snuck in just behind Albus, clinging close to one another. Once they reached the interior of the common room, those students took their seats on the squishy red sofas, alongside other Gryffindor students whispering to one another and holding their composure in a nervous sort of way.

While the students all remained seated or in some other sort of lowered position, there was a collection of adults standing in the room as well, all tall and dignified. Albus' dad was standing there among them, along with Caroline Murphy, Will Harris, Paul Mitchum. Albus knew them as Aurors from his dad's office. The rest of the witches and wizards there were strange to him; they must have been the Hit Wizards that Luna had been talking about. Professor Longbottom was with them, trying to appear calm, but unfortunately for the Herbology professor, he was easier to read than _Beedle the Bard_.

"Dad!" Albus called out and waved once he got close enough.

But Albus' father continued to stare out into the crowd as though he hadn't even heard him. Even if his dad was on duty, Albus liked to think his father would have at least acknowledged his existence. Albus took his seat alongside the other Gryffindor first-years sitting on the floor, just as nervous as the rest of them were. Something was very wrong.

"Gryffindors, Gryffindors, listen up!" Professor Longbottom called out over the collective whispers. "As you have probably all notice, Hogwarts will be hosting a few guests from the Ministry's Office of Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement."

Professor Longbottom was clearly trying to keep his tone light and casual, but was failing miserably. It wasn't entirely his fault, though. Unannounced visits from Ministry investigators always carried a heavy feeling. Most of the children's parents came from the generation that had lived through the Second War, and even after all the Ministry revisions Albus' father said had happened, everyone had grown up in an environment that had taught the children not to trust the government. Even Albus and his siblings shared similar feelings.

"The way this is going to work is that you are all going to be called up to the dormitories one at a time, where the Aurors are going to ask you some questions that you should be able to answer quite simply," Professor Longbottom told the students. "The Aurors will do their best to conduct the interviews in as less commotion as possible, and I am very sure that none of _my_ students will know anything of interest to them anyway."

Professor Longbottom tried to laugh at his own joke, but it soon died off when no one was joining in. "Very well. In that case, I'll let Mr. Potter take the stage."

Albus' father stepped forward, clearing his throat, and taking his turn to speak. "From the first-years, we will first need to see Georgia Ackhart. The second-years will begin with…"

Albus and all the other Gryffindors sat and listened as names from each year were called out.

"Fourth-years, Maddox Dugan. From the fifth-years, we will speak to Timothy Crowne. Six-years will start with Jane Birmingham; and finally, we will need to see Barton Bonds from the seventh-year class."

The students whose names had been called out were easy to spot, as they had all turned the same very distinct shade of pale.

"We will start the interviews with the students we have called and we will call out the remaining names as we need them."

It should have been self-explanatory that those students whose names were called should have gotten up immediately to go with the Aurors, but there weren't even any _attempts_ to do so. None of the called students did out so much as move. The seventh-year boy, who was even a prefect, seemed hesitant to obey.

"What the matter with you people?" a voice among the Gryffindors shouted. "These are officers of the law! Do you want to be arrested?"

Albus looked over his shoulder to see Maddox Dugan stand to his feet, staring down at his housemates almost as though he were disgusted with them.

"This is supposed to be the house of the bold and chivalrous?" he asked them. "I know it's not possible that all of you have something that needs to be hidden from the Dark Wizard-catchers, so that must just mean you're all being a bunch of cowards!"

The collective group of heads tilted down to stare at the rug or the sofa cushions. There was a strong sound of truth to the fourth-year's words, but, of course, no one was willing to admit it.

"C'mon, people," he said to the older students who still had yet to move. "The underclassmen are never going to believe there's nothing to worry about if even you don't behave like Gryffindors."

When still no one made a move, Maddox groaned, realizing he was going to have to be the one to prove his courage to the Aurors and the student body.

"I'll go first, then," Maddox told them, walking past the Aurors who were supposed to be interview him, appearing as though he was the one leading the way. "Let's go."

The young woman who was assigned to interview the fourth-years appeared just as shocked as anyone else, following Maddox up the tower staircase in a state of near awe.

"Alright then," Albus' dad said once he shock over the situation faded. "We'll start interviews with the names we have already called, as we will be moving on to the rest of you as we finish. We will call out your names when we are ready for you."

At long last, the other six students whose names had been called rose to their feet. Georgia Ackhart was sent with Albus' dad, while the others all went with strangers.

Georgia looked back at the group of Gryffindors still sitting beside the fireplace, and Albus was certain she was looking directly at him. It wasn't hard to understand. It was no secret that Albus' dad was head of the Aurors office, and Albus was the most logical person to seek out, the one who would have the best idea of what to expect. But the truth was, Albus didn't have any insight to offer. Even the people work that Albus did know from his dad's work, he didn't know very well. He had no idea how much patience they would have for a long line of frightened students, especially the younger children who might cry and beg for their parents.

Albus' dad would doing his best to keep his tone relaxed so as not to frighten Georgia or any of the other first-years he would soon be interviewing. At least Albus hoped so. He had never really wondered if the dad he knew at home and who he was at work were two different people, the way Professor Longbottom was Neville in the outside world, but a teacher he was expected to treat just like any other within Hogwarts.

Time passed, and more names were called. A lot of the students who had finished their interviews left the common room, though a few did return to their previous spots on the sofas or the rug.

Victoire, the Hogwarts Head Girl and closest possessor to power of any student, paced back and forth with her hands clasped over her chest. As a Weasley with a 'W', she would be one of the last students to go. In a lot of way, it must have been worse that way; having to have all that anxiety build until it reached its peak. Albus worried about how well Rose would be able to handle that kind of stress. Most likely not well.

"Albus Potter."

Upon first hearing his dad call his name, Albus jumped, instinct leading him to fear that he was in trouble. It wasn't until everyone had noticed this embarrassing little flinch that he remembered why his father was even at Hogwarts in the first place. With as much dignity as he could muster, Albus pushed himself up to his feet and walked up to his dad. To Albus' confusion, though, his father acted as though he barely knew his son, regarding him with no more attention or recognition than any of the other first-years had received.

Albus imagined his dad was trying to be professional about this. It wasn't as though an Auror's job requirement usually involved the interrogation of eleven-year-olds. Actually, if Albus' dad _had_ treated him like a son, it might have made the situation even more awkward and uncomfortable than it was now.

Albus' father, who had been leading the way up the stairs, finally reached the door to Albus' dormitory, and opened the door for him. In the middle of the room was a small table and set of chairs that had never been there before. Already sitting in one of the chairs was a man Albus recognized quite well: Ashford Ollivander, the wandmaker who had made Albus' wand, and the wands of his brother and his cousins right up to Dominique and Molly.

"Please," Albus' dad directed him to one of the empty chairs, "take a seat."

Shoulders stiff and feet shuffling, Albus made his way to the chair set right at the foot of his own bed. The girls had probably all been up here for their interrogations as well. Thanks to have an older brother and a half-dozen older cousin, Albus was well aware of the charms on the staircase leading up to the girls' dormitories, about how the stairs would transfigure into a slide, sending any boy who tried to sneak up sliding right back down into the common room.

Albus watched as his father took the seat across from him, taking out a quill and parchment. "First of all, I need you to state your name and age for the record," his father stated with little emotion.

Albus shifted uncomfortably on the hard oak chair. "Albus Potter," he spoke cautiously. "I'm eleven years old."

His dad waited until Albus actually spoke before writing down the answer, although it was completely unnecessary. "Albus, give me your wand please."

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he heard his dad's entire office had come to interrogate students, but he wasn't quite sure what his wand had to do with anything. "Why?"

"You'll get it back after you answer the questions," his dad said with a sternness in his tone. "Please give it to me."

Albus was ordinarily not one to disobey his parents, but he knew that Harry Potter, Head of the Auror's Office was not one to mickey around with. Even though he didn't understand the reasoning behind it, Albus pulled his wand from his pocket and gave it to his father. Albus' dad didn't even look at the wand, simply handing the rod over to the wandsmith.

"Cherry and unicorn hair," the wandsmith remarked as he took the wand for himself, "eleven and a half inches. I remember this wand. A very potent combination, excellent for defensive and healing magic."

Albus was only paying half-attention to the wandsmith's inspection. Ollivander was not saying anything Albus didn't already know. Maddox had told him all these things back before the Christmas holidays. Besides, he was slightly more concerned about why his dad and the Entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement had come to Hogwarts.

Ollivander was still turning the wand over in his hand as he looked up to meet his gaze with Albus' dad. "I will continue to examine it," he said to Albus' father, "if you wish to proceed with you questions, Mr. Potter."

Nodding again, Albus' dad turned his attention to the piece of parchment before him. "Where were you on the date of July fifteenth?"

"Dad, I was at home," Albus answered, still confused. "You know that. You were there too."

But Albus' father remained sober, not swayed by expressions or the distress of his own child. "Albus, please just answer the question."

Albus took a deep breath and resolved just to get all of this over with as soon as possible. "I was at my house in Godric's Hollow."

"Have you ever been to Ireland?"

Albus shook his head. "No."

Albus' dad didn't write the answer down. "Actually, your mum and I took you when you were one, but you couldn't have remembered that, so I'll let it go."

Albus sat perfectly still as his dad carried one with a list of questions that Albus could find any rhyme or reason to: list all his connections within the Ministry of Magic, what was his current grade in History of Magic, had he noticed any odd behavior from his peers, did he eat meat. Albus did his best to keep his answers as short and clear as possible.

As the questions went on, Albus' thoughts went on to a bit of autopilot and his mind started to wander. He kept waiting for his dad to ask some questions about the creatures invading the school, why he was friends with Scorpius Malfoy. Part of him just expected to see his dad simply throw the quill and parchment away and tell his son that he knew all about the Arcane ScoRA and ask him how long he thought he would have been able to keep it a secret. But no; he just carried on with his list of questions that all the other Gryffindors had had to answer, and Ollivander continued to play around with his wand, not looking to Albus like he was doing much of anything. Albus watched Ollivander as he passed his wand through his hands, every now and then, picking up a quill and taking notes on a bit of parchment.

"Albus," he heard his dad suddenly call at him, snapping his fingers. "Albus, pay attention."

His voice was stern, but still low and calm. Albus could never recall a time when his dad had yelled at him or even Lily. James, yes, one the few occasions when he finally got into enough trouble, but Albus knew that yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs was not his dad's style.

"Are these statements a clear and accurate description as you have given them?" his father asked in that same even tone

Albus nodded his head. "Yes."

"Do you understand that offering false information to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is a criminal offence and can be met with serious consequences?"

"Yes."

"Can you think of any other information you would like to include that hasn't been asked of you?"

Oh, there were a lot of things that Albus believed his father would be interested in hearing, but nothing he would be _willing_ to offer up.

"No."

Albus' father set his quill off to the side. "Then this interview is over. You may join your classmates back down in the common room."

Albus stood to his feet a little too quickly and he felt the blood rush make him lightheaded. All the same, he was not willing to say in the room a moment longer. As soon as Ollivander handed him back his wand, Albus rushed down the staircase as fast as he could without actually running. When he reached the common room, more than a dozen sets of eyes were staring at him, though Albus quietly convinced himself that the Gryffindors probably stared at everyone who came down after their interrogation was over. And by the time he took his previous seat on the rug, the call came out for Bailey Reynolds to come up and be questioned.

Glancing around the room, Albus noticed that James was nowhere to be seen. Likely,he was still being interviewed, but Albus had seen several of the students get up and leave as soon as they were no longer needed, sneaking out past Professor Longbottom and all the other Ministry officials. Not that Albus couldn't understand. The atmosphere in the tower was so tense, it didn't make sense that anyone would want to stay there.

In other years, the interviews had finally moved into the Weasleys and most of Albus' cousins had disappeared behind closed doors. It was also at this time that Albus chose to follow the lead of the other missing students and disappeared out of the tower, this time, without drawing the attention of a single eye.

* * *

The whole time Albus ran through the corridors, he felt a lump in his throat growing larger and larger. No one had told him that he _couldn't_ leave the Gryffindor common room, most of his housemates already had, but he still could not help but feel his heart race, and not just from the running.

Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They had all met there so many times before, and no one, absolutely _no one_ went in there, for fear of upsetting the bathroom. In an odd way, the girls' bathroom was the only place in the school that felt truly safe.

Moaning Myrtle was floating above the stalls, weeping and sobbing about some tragedy.

"Myrtle!" Albus called up to her, gasping for breath. "Myrtle, I need your help!"

Myrtle looked down, what might have been tears glistening in her eyes, appearing quite shocked to see him. "Albus Potter!" she swooshed down to his level. "What are you doing here? And why do you look like you ran all the way here? Is something wrong?"

"Myrtle," Albus whispered into the bathroom as he pulled the door closed behind him. "Moaning Myrtle, are you in here?"

"I need you to go find Scorpius, and then go find Rose," he begged the girl ghost. "Tell them it's urgent, and they need to come to the bathroom right away!"

She even squealed in what sounded like delight. "I'm on it!"

The girl ghost did a showy loop through the air before she disappeared through the wall.

After Myrtle left, the only sound in the bathroom was the echoing gurgle of her haunted toilet. Albus was too nervous even to pace, so instead, he stood against the bathroom wall, occasionally knocking the back of his head against the stone wall.

"Albus?" he heard Scorpius' voice call. "Where are you?"

"Did Myrtle come and get you?"

"No," Scorpius answered, matching Albus' hushed tones. "I was already on my way down. All the Slytherins started panicking when the rumor started that they were going to start searching student rooms next. No one even noticed me leave. Professor Vhartan didn't even notice."

As though on cue, Myrtle floated through the bathroom wall, appearing both surprised and please to see Scorpius Malfoy in her bathroom.

"Here's Scorpius," she presented him with a sweeping gesture of her arms. "I floated through the Ravenclaw tower, but Rose wasn't there."

"She must be in the corridors," Scorpius said to her. "See if you can find her scuttling through the halls."

Myrtle gave a curt nod, much more serious and business-like than she had been with Albus.

"Merlin, Albus!" Scorpius exclaimed as soon as they were alone. "There are _Aurors_ in the school, interrogating students! What the bloody hell have we gotten ourselves into? I didn't sign on for this!"

Albus nodded nervously as his fingers fidgeted with his robes. He hadn't signed on for this either. They hadn't meant to start an organization devoted to keeping the school from danger; they had just been trying to avoid detention and the wrath of Professor Hardarse! This was all getting much too big, much to fast!

It was right at that moment when Albus suddenly remember what Scorpius had just said about the Aurors searching through student rooms, and he breathing began to quicken as he panicked.

"The map—" Albus began.

But he didn't even have time to finish before Scorpius reached down the front of his shirt and extracted a rather old, yellowed piece of parchment.

"Some of the older students heard that the Aurors were searching rooms before they got to the Dungeon level. I had to grab the map before they got to our dormitories. If we're lucky, Rose has the Invisibility Cloak on her or in a really good hiding place."

"Did anyone see you sneaking into your room when you went to take the map?"

Scorpius shook his head, snickering under his breath. "There were _a lot_ of people who had things they didn't want found. And the prefects who all ran to their rooms as well were in no position to lecture."

Albus breathed a deep sigh of relief, knowing at the very least, his father could not go after him for stealing the map from his brother…who had stolen it from their father.

Just then, the sounds of intangible shouting interrupted the two boys, becoming considerably louder as the accompanying footsteps grew closer. Without a face, Scorpius seemed at a loss as to who was coming their way, but Albus had heard the two voices in argument enough times to recognize them from the moment he heard them: Rose and Uncle Ron, who must have been here with the Auror's Office as well. And from the intensity of the yelling, it was quite clear that Uncle Ron had broken the sacred taboo of not crossing one of the Weasley women, no matter how small.

As soon as she slammed the door behind her, Rose let loose a frustrated shriek. But Albus noticed something else; Moaning Myrtle wasn't with her. Rose wasn't here because the bathroom ghost had warned her to come.

"Rose!"

Albus felt his entire body stiffen once he heard the voice echo from the corridor: it was Uncle Ron! Even though Scorpius obviously had no idea who was shouting, he was still smart enough to know how much trouble he would be in if an adult saw him in the girls' bathroom. So together, the two of them ran off to hide behind one of the corner walls.

"Rose Athena Weasley, you get out of there right now!"

"NO!" Rose shouted back.

Albus snuck to the tile floor, drawing his knees up to meet his chin. Scorpius remained standing, but his legs were shaking so badly, it looked as though he might topple over at any moment.

"Rosie, I spent plenty of time in the girls' bathroom while I was a student here, so don't think I won't go in there after you!"

For a moment or two, Uncle Ron was silent, as though he was beginning to see the additional meaning that could be attached to that statement. "That is why you are extremely lucky I am here on official Ministry business and I don't have time to play these little games! So…you can stay in there all night if it suits your fancy!"

More footsteps told the two crouching boys that Uncle Ron had left them, and the skirting noise of the shuffle informed Albus that the man could not get away fast enough.

"Rose?" Albus approached his cousin cautiously, not sure if she might turn on him. "The cloak?"

Rose, with any verbal answer, reached down the front of her jumper and through the folded Invisibility Cloak to the tile floor, the previous bunching having been hidden by her school robes.

"Good!" Albus breathed a sigh of relief. "Scorpius said he heard they were going to start searching through our things as soon as they finished questioning the students."

"Once again, Rose's eyes went wide and her voice went loud. "What?" she bellowed, causing Albus and Scorpius both to flinch. "If my father thinks he is using all this as an opportunity to snoop through my personal belongings, he is sorely mistaken!"

"Yes," Scorpius drawled in a slightly sarcastic manner. "The interrogations at the hands of Ministry officials was quite unpleasant as well, I found."

Rose turned her head in a flouncy sort of way, smiling a smile Albus had seen enough times to know it didn't mean anything good. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, Scorpius. I found the whole experience quite breezy. Maybe they just question students from _certain_ families a little more intensely than others."

Deep down, Albus had known this was coming, but the three of them has been able to work together for so long without incident, he had secretly been hoping that his two friends might have forgotten all about what others people thought when they heard the names 'Weasley' and 'Malfoy'.

After the Second War, the Weasleys went from being poor-as-dirt blood traitors to one of the most respected wizarding families in all of Britain. Having so many children in the previous generation had paid off, for the Weasleys now had their fingers in every aspect of the wizarding world that could be imagined. They were a family of war heroes now; wealthier and more powerful than they ever could have imagined.

The Malfoys, on the other hand, suffered the fate that many of the prouder pureblood families did once the war ended. Much of the Malfoy's previous wealth, going towards either reparations or bribes. And despite Scorpius' fine clothes and the airs he put on, Albus had serious doubts as to whether Scorpius' family was now any richer than Rose's was. And even worse than that, many people believed, was the brush that the Malfoys and other families just like them had been painted with. What had brought them so much wealth and respect in previous generations proved to be there undoing in the here and now.

Albus groaned and sunk to the floor as he watched a very loud, very violent argument start up. He didn't even bother to remind them who could potentially walk passed the bathroom door and hear them. He knew he couldn't stop them even if he tried. At some point in the fight, Myrtle returned to her bathroom, watching the back and for bickering nearing violence. Albus had taken a seat on the floor, and Myrtle sunk down to the floor to join him. Albus wasn't sure he could say she was 'sitting' beside him, because he wasn't certain if ghosts even _could_ sit.

"Not that I think I could even do anything," Albus said to the girl ghost, "but shouldn't I be doing something to stop all this?"

Myrtle shook her head. "Knowing those two, this was going to happen sooner or later. Better they air it all out in the open rather than letting it fester. If they did, it would just be that much worse."

Albus nodded thoughtfully. "You really smart, Myrtle," he told her. "Wise, I mean."

Myrtle giggled slightly at the compliment. "I wish I could say it all came from being a Ravenclaw, but I've been around for a long time."

If there was any chance of him being supported, Albus probably would have leaned his head against Myrtle's shoulder. Being friends with a ghost was complicated.

"Well _I'm_ glad you're here with us," Albus confided in her. "You've been a great deal of help to the Arcane ScoRA."

The transparent girl giggled once again, combined with a squeal some rapid kicks against the air. If ghosts could blush, Albus was certain that Myrtle would be bright red.

The two of them sat quietly and indulged the spat between the Slytherin and the Ravenclaw. They listened to words like 'blood traitor', 'inbred', and other certain adjectives and nouns that Albus felt would get him in trouble just for thinking.

Myrtle was the one who eventually broke up the fight when the real heat of it died down. "So no one is even the least bit curious as to _why_ the Ministry is here?"

But the bathroom ghost went more or less ignored, as the argument continued on the same tangent it had been taking for nearly twenty minutes now. Annoyed and angry for not getting the reaction she wanted, Myrtle let loose one of her loud, wailing shrieks; the kind that probably could have crack porcelain. Rose and Scorpius immediately stopped pecking at each other as their hands flew to their ears, and Albus' too. He could help but feel a little betrayed. _He_ hadn't been doing anything. Myrtle could have a least warned _him_.

"Look at you two!" she scolded them as she floated up to a more impressive height. "You are going to allow something that happened before you were even born get in the way of your responsibilities to this school? We are a band of brothers…and sisters! You should both be bigger than this! I am simply disgusted with the both of you!"

Scorpius and Rose were both very clever, and they probably could have answered with a comeback to Myrtle's speech if they wanted to. But they both stood completely silent and stunned. No one had ever witnessed this sort of behavior from the bathroom ghost.

Before Rose could even respond, Albus tossed the Invisibility Cloak over her head, leaving only her shoes and her stockings to show.

While Rose was still standing stunned under the cloak, Albus turned his attention to the Slytherin boy beside her. "Scorpius, get out the _Marauder's Map_."


	13. Chapter 13 Still More Questions

Chapter 13  
Still More Questions

"Ow!" Rose screeched quietly, but still echoing through the hall. "Scorpius, that was my foot!"

Albus cringed, even though his own feet had yet to be injured. Walking so close together, it was not difficult to understand why they kept stepping on one another's toes. All the same, the Invisibility Cloak would be of little use if someone could follow their shouts of pain. It was clear that they would probably need to take a few more late-night practice strolls under the cloak before they became half-competent at walking underneath it. But that would probably have to wait until they were certain they would be able to walk the corridors without being eaten alive.

The Aurors and Hit Wizards were all absent from the student rooms, but the students were still absent from the halls. Even though the three first-years had no reason to believe the wizards from the Ministry would be all together, or that they were even still in the castle, the three of them were still holding out hope that if they could stumble upon them if they were in a meeting, they might hear something that would be remotely useful to the Arcane ScoRA. But up until now, all they had been doing was running back and forth down the corridors with no idea of where they were going, just searching for any possible signs of life.

"Where would they go to meet?" Scorpius pondered aloud.

"There's a whole castle full of rooms! How would I know?" Rose snapped at him.

Scorpius' face contorted into an odd sort of smirk. "You know, you get cranky whenever your parents come to visit," he stated.

Albus began to grind his teeth as he sensed another argument between the two behind him starting up. This time, however, Rose and Scorpius were gracious and tactful enough to keep it at a hushed whisper, and never remained out of step with Albus who led the way; although Rose did make sure to give Scorpius a few smacks on the head with the _Marauders Map_.

After what had to be at least three dozen doors they had passed over, Albus finally found the first sign of something promising.

"Stop!" Albus hissed suddenly, but it wasn't enough to keep Scorpius and Rose from crashing into him, bringing all three of them tumbling to the ground.

Being the leader, Albus was the one who ended up at the bottom of the pile, and he had to struggle to make his way at least partially out from under to tell everyone why he had made them stop. "I can hear voices in there," he said finally, though somewhat breathlessly, as he felt his ribs poking into his lungs.

The three students pulled themselves quietly to their feet quietly and smoothly, with all the grace of Britain's most poorly trained ballet dancers, all the while keeping the gazes on the tall, massive doors ahead of them. There was a very large set of brass locks, and there were most likely also magical wards in place keeping outsiders out. And if this really was where the Ministry officials were choosing to congregate, a simple _Alohamora_ was not going to get them inside.

Luckily enough, though, one of the Hit Wizards who had been in the Gryffindor dormitories exited the room in such a hurry, he forgot to completely close the door behind him. He did, however, step on Rose's toes on his way past, and it took Albus and Scorpius both covering her mouth to keep them from being heard.

Forming a very tight, sidestepping line, the members of the Arcane ScoRA squeezed in through the miniscule crack. And no one was there to step on anymore of their toes.

The room itself wasn't anything special. It had a hearth with a lit fire and a collection of mismatched armchairs and sofas. There hadn't even been any special guard on the door, or else the three members of the Arcane ScoRA would not have been able to tiptoe inside so easily.

The three of them each gripped the cloak tightly in their fists, lest some member of the group wandered away, took the cloak with them, and left the other two completely exposed.

Most of the people in the room were more or less strangers, people who served under Albus' dad. Then there was Uncle Ron, pacing across the stone floors. Rolf and Luna sat off to the side, Rolf thumbing through pages of notes while Luna sat off to the side with a book. Albus' dad was shuffling through a small pile of parchments, dropping them one at a time into the rubbish bin when he appeared to be done with them.

"Well," Uncle Ron was the first person they heard speak, directing his words at Albus' father, "what did we learn today that we didn't already know this morning?"

The three members of the Arcane ScoRA continued to sidestep their way into the room, settling into a tight little nook between a bookshelf and the wall, more than out of the way of the collection of people gathered inside.

"Nothing," Uncle Ron answered before Albus' dad could speak, "that's what."

"Lorentia?" Luna read aloud from her book, seemingly to no one. "Larinda?"

Albus' father shook his head from side to side. "We set some very vague perimeters, Ron," Albus' dad said in a much calmer tone of voice than Uncle Ron was using. "We knew that our chances of finding anything of use were slim."

Rolf set his notes aside and took a more active role in the conversation. "I'm not sure what you want me to tell you, Harry," Rolf finally said. "I can tell you that nothing like this has ever been recorded in history, that it is likely not by mere chance that these creatures came to the school; things you already know for yourself. I'm not even sure what it is Luna and I are doing here."

"Leontyne?" Luna continued to list off. "Levana? Levina? Lima?"

One of the wizards in the chamber gaped, rolled his eyes, and voiced his opinion quite clearly. "Creatures are running wild through this school since the start of the school year, with no sign of stopping, and you cannot understand what you are doing here?" he snapped at Rolf, striding over to the man in an aggressive manner. "What kind of so-called expert are you?"

Rolf spun around to face the man, his expression enraged, and Albus was very certain a fight was going to break out. Luckily, however, his father stepped in before any real violence could be seen.

"That's uncalled for, Mr. Rollins!" he chided sharply. "Why don't you take a walk and try to clear your head?"

The younger man turned his attention on Albus dad, as though he was now going to pick a fight with him instead. Albus' father, however, remained perfectly calm and collected, though he did match the young wizard's glare gaze for gaze, looking down at him from his superior height. Then, as though he finally thought better of the whole situation, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. If Rose were able to speak out loud, she probably would have remarked about how animal-like the entire exchange had been.

Once the hotheaded wizard was gone, Albus' father turned his focus to the remaining officials in the room. "As a matter a fact, why don't the rest of you go out for a bit too," he directed at the remaining Ministry employees. "Emotions have been running a bit high. We could all use a bit of a break."

As though they had just been waiting to be allowed such a break, the remaining Aurors and Hit Wizards breathed a collective sigh of relief and filed out of the room in much the same manner Albus had seen his classmates exiting classrooms. Rolf and Luna stayed behind as well, although that might have been because Luna's center of gravity was somewhat compromised.

Luna finally looked up from her book when she notice the room being so suddenly empty. "I saw your children early today," she said as though it were perfectly to start a nonchalant chat in the given situation. "Albus and Rose both seemed quite distressed about the whole situation." Maybe not, after all.

"I had a feeling, Luna," he confessed. "Believe it or not, I do not take pleasure in interrogating students."

"_That_ was an interrogation?" Uncle Ron exclaimed. "That was a Sunday chat that they got out of school to have! What you and I went through when we were students here, back when Britain was essentially a police state, was an interrogation!"

"What would you have me do, Ron?" Albus heard his father's tone suddenly become more severe. "Take a page out of Umbridge's book for techniques on questioning underaged students?"

A young witch who was one of the few to stay stepped forward out of her hiding place on an armchair tucked beside the fireplace.

"I think I know what Mr. Weasley is trying to say," she said. Uncle Ron was the type of person who needed to have what he meant said for him a lot. "What we're looking for isn't the kind of thing that would be easily offered up. We need to take even what we have gotten with a grain of salt, and I doubt we would even begin to get anything useful until we begin to squeeze them a little."

The way the lady said it sounded a lot better than when Uncle Ron said it. And once her piece had been spoken, she too left the room, stretching her arms over in head in the manner of someone who was horribly stiff.

Albus' father shook his head once the young woman was gone. "But that's a two-way street. It's why Rolf and Luna are here; to lend us their expertise on these matters so that we do not solely have to take the students' word for what has been happening here."

"Lysippe?" Luna began saying once again, letting Uncle Ron and Albus' dad carry on with their dialogue on their own.

Albus' dad then turned his attentions over to Rolf. "Are you sure there is nothing you two can tell us?" he asked, eyes pleading.

"Without seeing any of the actual phenomenon, I really can't tell you anything you couldn't have guessed yourself." Rolf said. "The chances of all these creatures simply stumbling into the school are next to none, especially given some of the more 'exotic' creatures that have been coming as of lately."

There was a collective shuddered under the cloak, and from behind, Albus could hear the sound of crinkling paper as Rose fussed with the _Marauders Map_. Albus wondered to himself if Rolf was talking about the Quintaped.

"The most likely answer _would be_ that these creatures are being summoned here somehow, though I couldn't begin to tell you how. My guess is, though, with the way you have been heading up this investigation so far, is that you already have your own suspicions about how this is being done."

But before either Albus' dad or Uncle Ron could confirm or deny Rolf's statement, Luna humphed under breath and slammed her book shut into her lap. "Rolf, I don't think the baby likes any of the L names."

The reason behind Luna's behavior and odd and sudden statements was quite clear now. Luna had been looking down to her stomach every time she read a new name. She had been reading the list to the baby, as though it would be able to tell her which names it liked. Somehow, though, this realization was of no surprise to Albus; it was very Luna-like behavior.

"Luna, love," Rolf said gently, in a manner that seemed better suited for talking to a distracted four-year-old than a grown woman, "you need to focus right now. We're talking about the beasts that have been invading the school right now."

Luna set her book down so that she could look her husband in the eye with that wide-eyed serene look of hers, and then she turned her gaze upward to speak to Albus' father.

"What we need to take into account is the pattern of these invasions. If you truly believe it is one person who is responsible for these, you need to take a look at what was going on in the lives of students at the time of these attacks. Most likely, whoever did this at least _believe_ they had good reason to do what they did. And from the information I have seen you obtain, I'm not so certain you have anything useful."

The room went completely silent, with even the members of the Arcane ScoRA held complete spellbound. Luna always had a way of disarming any notions that she was completely out of her mind.

Once she had said her piece, she turned her attention back to her book of baby names. "Maybe something that begins with an R?" she remarked offhand.

"At any rate, nothing is going to get done today," Rolf relented. "We have the raw materials needed for an investigation, and all we can do is work with what we have."

"So we just wait for something even worse to stumble into the school?"

Rolf's face took on a very guilty-looking expression at the insinuation, but he really didn't have anything else to offer.

"Maybe I should be getting Luna home," Rolf said, helping his very pregnant wife up to her feet.

Albus' dad nodded as Luna struggled to stand to her feet, her very swollen stomach preventing her from moving too gracefully. "It's alright," he assured them. "You can go ahead."

Rolf, however, didn't stop talking. "It's just that we have another appointment with the Healer tomorrow and we need to have the twins in bed early so we can drop them off at Xenophilius' in the morning, and—"

"Rolf," Luna told her husband calmly, "Harry and Ron have already said we can leave. You don't need to keep giving them reasons.

"I swear, if that man behaves like this every time I am pregnant, I am _never_ going to have another baby again."

"If you need either of us again, you know I, at least, won't be going anywhere."

Albus' dad chuckled under his breath as Luna took Rolf by the arm as they walked out of the chamber. "I don't think there is another woman on earth who has had pregnancy agree with her as much as Luna has," he remarked with a soft smile on his face.

When his attention shifted back to Uncle Ron, however, he saw that the fellow Auror was not sharing in the momentary light mood.

"I hate this, Harry," Uncle Ron said pounding his fist against the wall. "It wasn't supposed to be like this for our kids. Things were _supposed_ to be different."

"I can't stand it either, Ron," Albus' dad admitted. "Speaking to my own son like he was a criminal; terrifying all his classmates…"

Uncle Ron nodded along with the list, although his expression told that he had something a bit more specific on his mind.

"I don't think I've ever seen my Rosie so mad at me. I thought my daughter wouldn't start hating me until she was at least thirteen."

Behind him, Albus heard a sound slightly reminiscent of a mouse being trodden on, but he knew it was the sound of guilt kicking in on Rose's part.

Albus' dad put his hand on Uncle Ron's shoulder. "I know it's not easy, Ron; and I pity how much worse it's only going to get between you two from here on out. And believe me, with the tempers you two share, it _is_ going to get a lot worse."

Uncle Ron's ear turned just slightly pink, and Albus' could only imagine that Rose's were too.

"But I'm a bit more concerned with all the attacks on the school. It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. That is unless someone already has and just hasn't come forward."

This time, it was Albus' turn to feel especially guilty beneath the safety of the Invisibility Cloak. He knew that by continuing to keep what he knew a secret, he was only making his dad's life harder, and by extension, his whole family's. But he couldn't very well be the one to break the code of secrecy the Arcane ScoRA held themselves to; not when he held Scorpius and Rose to the exact same standard. Besides, Myrtle knew where he slept and would most likely haunt him for the rest of his days if he told any of their secrets.

It was at that point that Albus' father reached down into the pockets of his robes to search for his watch. Albus' dad owned what had to be the world's oldest functioning pocket watch. It was battered, scuffed, and ancient, but he had refused any suggestion of replacing it. "I should be leaving," he said, snapping the watch shut. "I want to go home while my daughter still remembers what I look like. You should be getting back to Hermione and Hugo too."

Uncle Ron didn't offer a verbal answer, but all the same, he followed Albus' dad out of the meeting chamber, shutting the door softly behind him.

The members of the Arcane ScoRA remained under the cover of the Invisibility Cloak for several minutes after the room had been emptied. Later, they would say it was out of common sense and that any one of the Ministry employees could have reenter at any moment, even through the Floo. But the reality of it was they were all just a little to shaken to leave the safe feeling that the covering provided. None of them had anticipated that night they were wandering the halls after dark and their small lie to keep them out of trouble would land them right in the middle of an official Ministry investigation.

Rose, of course, was the first one to shake off the initial shock of it all. "Alright, people. They had to leave something useful behind. Spread and search!"

Surprisingly, Scorpius followed the girl's instructions without hesitation or any scathing looks. Eventually, Albus too began a cautious survey of the room, at first seeing nothing but a few abandoned quills on the room's hard surfaces and the remnants of a late afternoon tea.

"We really should have had Moaning Myrtle come with us to stand guard," Albus suggested as he began looking under pieces of furniture.

"Somehow Myrtle doesn't strike me as the inconspicuous type," Rose replied bluntly. "Besides, I think our dads know her. They never would have allowed her to stay."

Upon further consideration, Albus had to admit that his cousin was probably right. Come to think of it, he wasn't quite sure how Myrtle had managed to do all the undercover work she had already done for the Arcane ScoRA. She wasn't the sort of person who was easy to miss in an empty room or corridor. But Albus supposed he had come to think of the ghost girl as really being a true comrade in their secret society, and even someone who really had it in their power to assist them in any way they might need. _That_ was most certainly a change in the status she seemed to hold with most within the walls of Hogwarts.

Suddenly, Albus heard Rose say, "What are these?" She signaled over to a rubbish bin overflowing with pieces of crumpled parchment. Soon enough, she was joined by Albus and Scorpius, who stood at her side, but none of them made a move to actually venture inside the rubbish bin to find any clues.

Bravely, Albus reached down to the floor, retrieving one of the crumpled pieces. Smoothing it out against the palm of his hand, reading the words that had been scrawled in slightly smudged ink.

**Gryffindor: First-years**

Student_________________________Wand______________________________Date_____  
_Georgia Ackhart____________Apple and phoenix feather, intricate___________January 29th  
Jodie Canning______________Oak and phoenix feather, stable______________January 29th  
Leo Edwin_________________Chestnut and phoenix feather, sturdy_________January 27th  
Maeve Finnigan_____________Rowan and dragon heartstring, delicate_______January 28th  
Gavin Foss________________Poplar and unicorn hair, construct____________January 27th  
Simon Henry_______________Reed and dragon heartstring, brittle__________January 28th  
Ruby Paddock______________Hazel and phoenix feather, yielding__________January 29th  
Albus Potter________________Cherry and unicorn hair, potent_____________January 27th  
Bailey Reynolds_____________Holly and unicorn hair, sublet_______________January 28th  
Riley St. John_______________Maple and phoenix feather, compact_________January 28th  
Damien Towler______________Ebony and phoenix feather, to scale________January 29th_

"These are the Gryffindor first-years," he told them, "and their wands."

Eyes widening, Scorpius knelt down to the rubbish bin and dug in, pulling out another crisp piece of parchment. "Here's the Ravenclaw third-year list," he reported.

Rose fished out another scrap of paper. "Hufflepuff fourth-year."

This was most certainly an interesting turn of events. Albus knew that Ashford Ollivander had to be there for some reason; there was no one better to go to in all of England on the subject of wands. _Why_ it was the Aurors Office felt they needed him, however, still remained a mystery.

"It looks like almost all of the information they took has been thrown in here." Albus let the piece of paper he had been holding drop back to the ground. It hadn't been of any use to the Ministry, so it clearly wasn't of any use to them.

"This parchment all looks brand new! They barely even looked at them!" Scorpius eyes were wide as he spoke.

"Enough for them to know that nothing on it was of use to them," Rose concluded.

So, the plot continued to thicken.

"Why would they interview the entire school and then just throw everything away?" Albus pondered aloud.

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders as he allowed his piece of parchment to drop back down to the ground as well. "They brought in Ollivander, so we know they were defiantly interested in our wands. And what they were made of, and when they were last used."

"Do they know what spell was used to call all these creatures to our school?" Albus asked. "Is that why they're so obsessed with wands? Would they be able to tell what spell was used just by have a wandsmith look at them?"

"I don't think it was the spells they cared about," Rose answered. "Look; all they wrote down were the dates they were last used. If they were looking for a specific spell, they would have written down the last spell they used. All they really seem to care about is _when_ they were used."

Scorpius took his turn to speak. "So, it's not the students they think are responsible, but they think whoever has been doing all this has been using someone else's wand?"

"It makes sense," Rose admitted, putting her index finger to her lips. "Maybe they thought they wouldn't get caught if they used someone else's wand.

"The only problem is," she continued, beginning to pace the floor, "wouldn't someone have noticed their wand was missing for as many invasions as there have been?"

No one had the opportunity to respond to these ponderings, however, because from out in the corridor, footsteps could be heard approaching fast.

"Someone's coming!" Albus gasped, throwing the cloak up over their heads. "Hide! And be quiet!"

The slippery fabric settled around them just in time to keep them hidden from the two Hit Witches who came rushing back into the room, searching through the dimly chamber in search of something that was clearly important. As it turned out, that something turned out just to be a blue feather quill, but the young witch who found breathed a deep sigh of relief, as though it were some lost treasure.

Once the door was devoid of obstructions, the three first-years resumed their sidestepping walk back out the door. But not before yet another one of the Hit Witches stepped on Rose's foot once again, this time with much more pointy, much more painful shoes. And once again, both Albus and Scorpius clamped their hands over Rose's mouth as they moved down the hallway, holding tight despite the fact that Rose's teeth were now pinching against their skin. At least until they finally found themselves back in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where Rose showed off her surprisingly extensive vocabulary.

Albus wondered quietly to himself if this was set another something his cousin had picked up in the Ravenclaw common room.

* * *

Five hours later, none of the members of the Arcane ScoRA had gone back to their separate dormitories. Myrtle was a bit upset at first at not being invited to track down the Ministry agents, but Scorpius and Rose together had managed to convince her that her sudden presence away from her preferred haunting grounds might draw some unwanted attention under the circumstances.

She was, however, more than welcome to sit in on the society meeting that came to follow, floating around the circle in her usual observant fashion.

"The only problem is, wouldn't someone have noticed their wand was missing for as many invasions as there have been?" Scorpius brought up a valid point.

"Unless they were actually in on everything," Rose responded, showing off her newly acquired suspicious mind.

"But if a student actually was responsible, the Aurors would have taken them away, and the entire school would be buzzing. Everything is still quiet." Myrtle informed them, floating around the edges of the circle. "I know, I've been patrolling the corridors and paying attention."

Scorpius looked up as though he had forgotten the ghost girl was even there. "Um, thanks, Myrtle."

_Thanks, nothing!_ Albus thought to himself. _She's been doing just as much work as any of us have today._ Maybe Albus was the only one in the society who thought of the bathroom ghost in such high esteem.

"So then what is the next step?" Scorpius asked. "Sneaking to the Ministry underneath that Invisibility Cloak and goes through the records at the Aurors Office?"

It was clear that Scorpius was being sarcastic. Albus couldn't even begin to conceive how they would go about undertaking such an ambitious plan, or what would happen to them if they were caught filtering through Auror records. But while they were on the subject…

"Your dad seemed to feel really bad about all of it, Rose," Albus said to his cousin, his tone soft.

But all of Rose's previous guilty feelings about the words her father and Albus' had exchanged in the meeting chamber were long since gone. "Stupid git of a father!" she grumbled, stomping her feet like a tantrum-throwing two-year-old. "I'm willing to bet that he somehow _knew_ we were under that cloak and said all those things just to make me feel guilty!"

Then, Rose's attentions, and her frustrations, turned on Scorpius. "And don't you dare think that now is an appropriate time for joke, _Malfoy_! We have far too much to do, and there is no time for any Clabbert business!"

Scorpius' face then took on a very snide expression. "Well then, what solutions and contemplations have been circling through _your_ brilliant mind, _Weasley_?"

It was clear that not _all_ of the previous tension was completely gone.

"It's obvious what's going on here, isn't it?" Rose asked the two boys. "The school suspects that a _student_ is responsible for these attacks. And the Aurors are here because they suspect this all being done by means of very Dark magic."

Rose kept her sharp gaze on Scorpius. "Have any Slytherins been behaving oddly that you have noticed?"

The Slytherin member of the Arcane ScoRA took extreme offence to that comment. "Oh, yes! Because it is _always_ a Slytherin who is responsible whenever something goes bump in the night! Never mind that a Slytherin has been helping to keep this school safe from the very beginning!"

Jumping to his feet, Scorpius made a swift stride over to Albus cousin so he could look her dead in the eyes.

"If you ask me, I think a Ravenclaw could just as easily be responsible," Scorpius took a shot at the Ravenclaw redhead. "You're all far too clever for your own good, and they always say never to trust the quiet ones."

Albus spoke up in an attempt to deflect all the negative energy circling through the room. "What is it's someone in Hufflepuff that's responsible?"

The reaction from his two friends was something he expected deep down, but he still felt that the actual loud, prolonged laugher was a bit uncalled for. At the very least, though, it brought a temporary end to all the aggression between the two. "Maybe now what would be best is to go back to the dormitories and get a good night's sleep," Albus suggested, unable to suppress yawn.

But Rose shook her head, even while she was still giggling. "We're still not going anywhere," she told the group once the laughter between her and Scorpius died down. "Aurors are the best of the best. They didn't get there because they could be outdone by a trio of eleven-year-olds."

"We have to sleep in the bathroom?" Scorpius shouted, leading everyone else in the bathroom to rush to shush him.

"We won't be here all night," Rose assured him. "We can go back to our dormitories under the cloak once the corridors aren't so crawling with Ministry officials. We'll just have to wait it out until they leave."

"What are we supposed to do in a bathroom for all that time," Scorpius asked, and before all the dirty thoughts of bathroom jokes enter her mind, he finished. "_Besides_ that!"

Instead of giving a verbal answer, however, Rose strolled over to one of the leaking sinks and turned on the tap. Once a good amount of water spilled into her cup hand, she flung it right at Scorpius' back, to which he shrieked and spun around and saw Rose with her dripping hand and mischievous grin.

"You splashed me!" he exclaimed, trying to turn his robes so that he could better survey his soaked back.

"Yes, I did," Rose sassed him. "What are you going to do about it?"

And with that she threw another handful of water at Scorpius' robes. Scorpius smirked when he finally realized what Rose was implying. He then ran over to the sink to garter his own ammunition for the battle, but Rose made sure to get him plenty soaked from the running tap while he did. But once Rose was the one starting to get soaked, she couldn't get away from that tap fast enough, screaming and shouting without any regard to who might hear her. Once the fight ensued, Albus saw little recourse but to join in himself, able to have full access to the sink while Rose and Scorpius were fleeing from each other.

At the very least, all the tension from their previous argument seemed to be gone. So if they could work it out by splashing at one another and making a mess of Myrtle's bathroom, why not let them?

Once Albus started to think about it, he realized that this was the first time the three of them had actually done anything that might lead people to think the three of them were actually friends. Up until now, everything the three of them had done together revolved around the work of their secret society and nothing else. Even the train ride at the beginning of the year could have hardly been considered a real social interaction. This was the first real _fun_ they had all had together; the first time they had been children and not brothers in arms. Even Myrtle joined in. Though she couldn't actually engaged in the battle, she shouted strategic advice as she floated over their heads. It was likely the first fun she had had in ages too.

Time passed incredibly quickly, and no one bothered to call a ceasefire to check the time. By the time Rose finally decided it was safe enough to go back to their rooms, the moon was hanging in the center of the high window. Once again, Scorpius took the _Marauders Map_ and Rose took the Invisibility Cloak so that Albus would be spared from the wrath of James or Fred, in case they might take a late-night search of his trunk. The three went their separate ways early, so there was no opportunity to discuss the day's events or console one another's more deep-rooted fears and anxieties. The light feeling from the water fight had faded the moment they left the bathroom, and now Albus was wet, cold, and his stomach felt like it was filled with crawling creatures.

Needless to say, Albus did not sleep very well that night.

* * *

The whole next day in classes, Albus was finding it nearly impossible to stay awake. Professor Binns didn't notice, for Albus was behaving no different from any student in his class on any given day. In Potions, Scorpius didn't even try to stay awake, napping quite contently with a quill in his hand so he still might appear to be the eager student. Professor Vhartan was preoccupied with Phoebe Nott's melted cauldron and the Pucey twins being drenched in some odd orange solution that had shot out of the cauldron behind them.

Professor Longbottom, however, was not quite so easy to fool; especially after Albus lost consciousness and fell face-first into a pot of damp dirt. It was not for a few more moments, though, that they class collectively noticed him, and by the time Professor Longbottom did wake him up, Albus had a nice solid mud-mask all across his face. With the entire class laughing, Albus was instructed to go to the greenhouse sinks and wash his face. There, privately thankfully, Albus was also instructed by Professor Longbottom to stay after class.

Albus stayed at the sinks for far longer than he needed to, fearing all the eyes that would be staring at him when he finally came back. By the time he took his seat once again, class was nearly over, but Professor Longbottom didn't call him on it. But when the rest of the class was dismissed, the teacher still kept his eyes on Albus to remind him to stay where he was.

"Mr. Potter," he said, removing his dirt-covered gloves and setting them on the tabletop before taking a seat himself, "is there something you would like to tell me?"

Albus remained quiet, partly because he wasn't sure of what to say, but also because he was just still so groggy.

"Albus," Professor Longbottom said, more softly this time, "you know me. You can talk to me. I want to know what's wrong so I can help you. Please let me do that."

Instead, Albus stared down, tracing his finger through the scattered dirt on the surface of the table.

"Yesterday couldn't have been easy for you," the Herbology professor tried, "especially with your dad being the one to interrogate you and your classmates."

Albus nodded, not speaking because he could feel his voice catching in his throat.

"Truth be told, Albus, I was planning on talking to you after class anyway," Professor Longbottom admitted. "I have an appointment to speak with your brother later today."

Looking up, Albus saw his Head of House shuffle anxiously on the stool. "Being the Head of Gryffindor house can be difficult at times. Everyone is too proud to admit they are afraid or that they need someone to talk to. But it is by no means a sign of weakness to admit that you need help under such difficult circumstances as these."

Albus turned his gaze back down to the tabletop, wishing his godfather would stop tempting him. He would have loved it if he could have been able to confide in the man about everything he had faced since the beginning of the school year; all the times he had nearly been killed and how many times he had been scared. But all the same, he could not ignore the loyalty he felt to his friends, especially now that he felt he could actually call the three of them that. So instead, Albus offered a noncommittal nod and kept his secrets to himself.

"It will all be okay, Albus," Professor Longbottom said, putting his hand on his godson's shoulder.

_Oh, if only the Herbology professor had any of idea of what he was really talking about!_


	14. Chapter 14 The Gathering

Chapter 14  
The Gathering

Albus had never been to the Hospital Wing because he was ill before, and after this weekend, he was fully intent on never coming back, although before attending Hogwarts, his uncles joked that with his bloodline, he would be seeing a lot of the place. The only way he could have had any more on bed rest was if he were actually strapped to the bed.

Yesterday, for the entire walk to the Hospital Wing, Professor Longbottom kept insisting that it was just a precaution, not a punishment; but Albus certainly wasn't seeing it this way. It had only been one day and he was already ready to pull his hair out. Because he was there to _rest_, Madam Pomfrey would not allow him to get anything from his dormitory, wouldn't let him do his homework, talk to the other patients, or do anything else besides count the bumps on the ceiling. If he didn't end up going mad, this would be more than enough to keep him from ever falling asleep in class again.

It had only been one day so far, and Albus was already convinced he couldn't possibly be made more miserable. The Hospital Wing was, for the most part, empty, and the few student that were there were so violently ill that they were in absolutely no mood to talk. On some level, though, it was a relief. The moaning he heard from a few beds over was the only break in silence in the entire room.

"Albus, are you not well?" he then heard suddenly.

Drowsy from boredom, Albus' reaction to the voice was slow. But he became much more aware when his eyes registered the familiar form of Luna Scamander: straggly-hair blonde and still very pregnant.

"Loony!" he exclaimed, propping himself up against the pillows.

No matter how bad any of the Potter children were feeling, a visit from Luna Scamander was almost certainly a guaranteed cure.

Calmly, she shushed him and took a rather clumsy seat on the side of his bed. "Madam Pomfrey wouldn't have allowed you to have visitors except for I told a little white lie saying I was here on official Ministry business."

Albus smiled, though he did suspect that Luna might have truly had some sort of work she was doing on his father's behalf and she simply could not tell him about it, but Albus didn't care. If it meant some momentary company, he would have agreed with anything that was told to him.

"And besides, you honestly didn't think I was going to leave you without saying good-bye, did you?" she asked, ruffling his already messy mop of hair. Once she was comfortably seated, Luna suddenly jolted, her hand going to her belly, as though the baby was kicking.

"Besides, when you're on mandatory bed rest," she said, rubbing her sore back, "I know what a valuable asset company can be."

Albus nodded. It wasn't particularly in Luna's nature to lie (even little white lies), but her sympathetic nature _was_ very much a part of who she was. When she had been pregnant with Lorcan and Lysander, the Healer had put her on bed rest for the entire last two months of her pregnancy. The Potters came to visit her nearly every other day. Even though Luna was often tired and near ready to burst, she would always go on about how happy she was to see them every time they came.

"Thanks, Loony," Albus said. "Have you heard from my dad at all?"

"Not very much, no," Luna told him. "He has been very busy lately."

Albus nodded soberly; he understood quite well. The creatures that had been invading the school had consumed Albus' every spare moment of free though since the school year started. He could only imagine how busy his dad must be with the whole thing, especially since it seemed he already knew far more than the members of the Arcane ScoRA.

"It worries you, doesn't it, Albus?" he heard Luna say suddenly.

Albus looked up to see Luna lean over sympathetically, or at least trying to; her rather large stomach made that somewhat difficult. Luna really was a much more nurturing personality than people gave her credit for. Grandmum Weasley, especially, never believed Luna would adapt to life as a mother. Albus could remember this also from when Luna was pregnant with Lorcan and Lysander. Luna had became pregnant late in life, at least according to every adult Albus overheard, who also tended to say Luna's eccentricity would make her very poorly suited to being a mother. This, however, was something Albus never understood.

Like Albus' father had said, no one had ever taken to being pregnant like Luna. When she was with her twins, as well as now, there was a magnificent glow about her; she never seemed to suffer from morning sickness, or swollen ankles, or anything else Albus had ever heard his mother or his aunts complain about. And once the twins were born, Luna had never been anything besides playful, sincere, and loving, though certainly nothing like a traditional mother in any sense of the word. And it was that last bit that still left so many people skeptic of her parenting abilities.

"What do you make of it all?" Albus asked, rubbing the boredom-induced sleepiness out of his eyes.

Luna pulled away slightly, making it quite clear that she couldn't tell him, even if she wanted to; official Ministry business and all that. On some level, Albus expected that sort of answer.

"I did bring something for you, though," Luna said suddenly, reached into her shoulder bag and extracted a thick stack of papers. "Here."

At first glance, Luna's 'gift' wasn't that impressive: plain, black and white, dull. But then Albus got a better look at the first page: _Unknown Amazonia: Newly Discovered Creatures of the Amazon Rainforest,_ by Rolf and Luna Scamander.

"Loony!" Albus exclaimed, hugging her awkwardly from the side. This had to be her latest book!

"Editor's edition," she said, working on pushing herself back up to her feet. "Just don't let Madam Pomfrey see it. We'll both be in trouble."

Albus nodded quietly, putting his index finger to his lips as Luna finally stood. Quietly—or as quietly as she possibly could—Luna tiptoed out of the Hospital Wing and back out into the corridor. The first moment Albus felt completely secure in doing so, he flipped the collection of papers open and began absorbing their contents.

* * *

The newspaper, Albus was not afraid to say, bored him. The Wizarding world had been enjoying an unusual level of peace lately, and that always made more rather dull editions of _The Daily Prophet_. Aside from a few stories from Ireland, the paper was mostly made from filler stories.

So instead, Albus used the _Prophet_ as a bookmark for Luna's manuscript, which, on the other hand, proved to be most fascinating.

The book detailed Luna and Rolf's past few expeditions to the Amazon and the creatures that had studied there, including several brand new species. The Eriecuffs were mentioned quite extensively, although this time, Luna had included that when the little creatures were kept in groups, they had just enough intelligence to organize and merge into forms of chaos. But that was not the only newly discovered creature that had been touched on. One of the most interesting chapters focused on a new insect which Luna had named the False-Top Mantis. It was a relatively small insect, in and of itself, but on its back was a collection of what appeared to be feathers forming into the shape of a brightly colored bird. The 'false-top' of the creature contained nothing of vital impotents, so when predators swooped down to eat it, they would only end up with a rather large mouthful of nothing.

The rest of the weekend passed much faster after Luna's visit. Like Luna said, Albus had made very sure that Madam Pomfrey didn't see him reading, and it ended up paying off greatly to him. When the school's Healer saw Albus' improved disposition, she attributed it to a sudden boost in his overall health and decided on Sunday night that Albus was well enough to sleep back in the Gryffindor dormitories.

However, the moment he left the Hospital Wing, Albus found himself confronted with a two-person welcoming committee. Just as he turned the corner out into the corridor, he found himself attack, a solid body draped over his own, arms hugged tightly around his neck and red hair taking up most of his vision.

"Albus, where have you been all weekend?" Scorpius came up as well while Rose continued to hang off her cousin.

"I fell asleep in Herbology, and Professor Longbottom had me spend the weekend in the Hospital Wing," Albus explained. "Madam Pomfrey had me on bed-rest the whole time and wouldn't let me leave for anything."

"You _had_ to have a class with a teacher who cares about your well-being," Scorpius joked. "Professor Branston was so busy trying to keep kids from accidentally setting themselves on fire that she didn't even notice that Rose and I spent the entire class sleeping on one another's shoulders!"

Rose laughed right along with the other two boys, her locks of red hair shaking with her.

"But I did have a lot of time to think in there," Albus told them, finally prying his cousin off of his frame, "and I think I might know why the Aurors only collected the information they did."

"How so?" Scorpius asked, offering Rose a bit of stability as she was placed on her feet.

"Maybe there's a special wand that they're using to perform these spells instead of the wand that they use for class. And if that's true, their class wand, and the wand they probably showed to Ollivander, would have all lot less use on it compared to the other students. That could have been what they were looking for."

Once Rose was situated back on the stone floor, she looked up at her cousin, light blue eyes wide and her mouth opened wide, corners turned up.

"Albus," she gasped, "that is actually brilliant!"

Albus felt his shoulders creep up, and he was certain that he could feel a great deal of blood rushing up to his cheeks. He was quite proud of being able to come to this conclusion all on his own, even if he _have_ have several days to come up with it, but that was only part of it all. 'Brilliant' was high praise from any Ravenclaw, and it most certainly was from Rose Weasley as well.

"But how would _we_ be able to tell?" Scorpius asked. "It's not as though a wand is a very conspicuous object here."

That was where Albus' insight ended. Yes, a wand was a very vague object and coming up with this theory didn't mean Albus would have any more of an idea of what this wand would look like or how it work different from any other wand. And he especially didn't know who had it.

Albus couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about not having these answers, as illogical as the reasoning behind it all.

* * *

"…Although today, Ministry statutes prevents wizard involvement in Muggle political affairs, such was not true hundreds of years ago."

Tuesday afternoon's History of Magic class was just as dull as every other session of the class had ever been. The only thing more boring than the history of wizard politics was the Wizarding involvement in Muggle politics. Professor Binns had been droning on about the same subject for more than two weeks now, talking about kingdoms that didn't exist anymore and stories that seemed to do nothing to influence modern life as the first-year Gryffindors all knew it today.

"The first millennium, when Britain was made up of several different kingdoms, has several excellent examples of this. In fairy tales, kings and queens were often wizards and witches. The reason for this was quite simple: he who held the power in the physical sense held power over the people. Some such examples can be shown in regions of Ireland and Scotland…"

Across the room, students were letting their heads drop the surfaces of their tables, and a few of them were even snoring softly. The late night in Astronomy the night before certainly didn't do anything to change this. Albus had heard from Muggle-born students that Muggle school schedules were ruled by a system of bells. Whenever it was time for class to end, a loud bell would ring and the students were all free to go. Best of all, there was nothing the teachers could do about it! Albus mused to himself about what it would take for Hogwarts to install such a system, but then finally came to the conclusion that it would never happen.

Albus soon laid his own head onto the surface of the table and watched patches of sunlight move across the classroom's stone walls. Eventually, he was distracted from his stupor by the sound of rustling all across the room. Apparently, Professor Binns had finally called the class to an end and some of the more alert students were gathering up their things. Boredom had left Albus completely drained of energy, but thankfully, History of Magic was his last class of the day. All he wanted to do was go back to the Gryffindor common room and claim one of the more comfortable couches for himself before the older students took them up for studying. Maybe he would even stop by the Great Hall and sneak a few snacks into his pocket to relax with.

But when he finally reached the doors of the Great Hall, he saw a sight that brought an end to any notions of spending the evening relaxing. Easily half of the student body was clustered on front of the entrance to the Great Hall with teachers at the front of the crowd barring anyone from entering. Most people stood on their toes to see over the shoulders of the tallest of students; a few first-years tried to squeeze their way to the front, while the older students continued to push them back. Albus himself began squeezing through the crowd of people, curiosity getting the better of him, and his smaller-than-average size proving quite useful for a change.

"Please, everyone disperse," Albus could hear Professor Longbottom call out, although Albus could only see the very top of his head. "You will all be eating dinner in your common rooms tonight. Your Head of House will be there within the hour to speak with you. Make sure you are all there when that happens."

"Neville!" a voice called out.

Professor Patil emerged from the Great Hall, her normally sleek hair in disarray and her robes a crooked, rumbled mess. "Hagrid says there is still too much for the N.E.W.T. students to be able to handle. We will need the fifth-years, and possibly the fourth-years."

And with that, Professor Patil led Professor Longbottom by the arm (suddenly reminding Albus of his own relationship with Rose). Professor Sinistra took Professor Longbottom's place in keeping the students at bay, strands of her graying hair torn and fallen from under her hat and hairpins. Crouching down, Albus turned his attention to the crowd of students all around him, looking for anyone who might be familiar. He wondered if Scorpius and Rose had been drawn to the chaos as well.

"Albus!"

And speaking of Rose, the she was, her bright red hair poking out from between two older boys whose legs she was pushing at in an effort to get closer to the front of the crowd. From behind, she was dragging at Scorpius, holding tight to him as though they were awash in a raging river.

"There you are!" she exclaimed once the three of them were all together, directing them all to kneel at the floor so as to get an even better view. "You wouldn't believe the rumors that have been flying through the halls! I just had to see for myself if there was any truth to them."

Too curious for question further, Albus and Scorpius both followed the redheaded Ravenclaw, crawling through a forest of legs and school robes. The hard stones pushed painfully against Albus' knee bones, and occasionally, the older students would step on their hands, as well as their legs. Albus soon forgot about the pain, however, when he saw the reason why so many people had crowded around the doorway, peeking through a pair of legs, his chin resting on the floor.

From wall to wall, the entire Great Hall was packed with creatures of every size and form. The tables had all vanished (a good thing, because if they had stayed, Albus doubted that anyone would ever eat at them again) just to accommodate the sheer number of creatures in the room. Even at a quick glance, Albus could see centaurs mixed with pure white unicorns, flocks of owls and birds that he couldn't even identify circling the ceiling, and a crudely-built barrier against the wall with a few long, hairy legs poking out. Hagrid, along with Professors Patil, Longbottom, and Flitwick, as well as several older students rushing back and forth across the chamber in a panic. Actually, it was rather funny to see the tiny headmaster rushing about with his short legs, holding up the hem of his robes to keep from tripping over them. Taller professors stood on either side of him, almost like bodyguards protecting the headmaster from any attacks from above.

"Everybody back to their common rooms!" Professor Sinistra shouted loudly over the collective whispering of the students. "I assure you, you will all be well informed of the situation once the staff has everything under control. But for that to happen, we need all of you to leave. Your presence will only prolong the situation."

Eventually, the students towards the back groaned and began to walk away. They weren't getting a descent view of the situation, so it made no difference to them that they were told to leave. The students at the front, however—Albus, Rose, and Scorpius included—continued to stay on to keep their excellent seats to the show.

"Hey, there! I know all of you heard me," Professor Longbottom said as he reappeared at the doorway, seeming to focus much of his attention on the three first-years at the very front of the group. "Back to your common rooms, and that means all of you."

That was finally what it took to disperse the rest of the gathered students. The members of the Arcane ScoRA all pushed themselves to their feet, but they didn't say a word to one another about what they had seen, even with all the other students buzzing about it. A creature or two at a time was one thing; but enough to populate an entire forest was another, especially all at once. Even with all the information the three members were privy to, they still had no clue of what to make of the situation.

* * *

Sharing a school with so many different magical creatures was nowhere near as exciting or entertaining as it might seem. But the students had completely lost the use of the Great Hall, for it had been deemed a temporary shelter for all the creatures that had come into the schools. Meals were brought into the common room whenever it was time to eat, but the Gryffindors didn't seem to find this terribly inconvenient. James and Fred even seemed to see the new system as something of an enjoyment. They got to be woken up by the smell of bacon and sweet rolls, and they were allowed to eat breakfast in their pajamas. The only thing Albus had learned from the experience was how much he missed seeing Rose and Scorpius during mealtimes. It was the only time of the day that they could count on all being together. Before, Albus might have thought it was the only time of the day when the might have been able to make plans for the Arcane ScoRA, but now, especially since Albus had come to think of the three of them as friends, he also missed the company they shared.

And although the creatures had all been given free reign of the Great Hall, they most certainly didn't stay there. Centaur fouls tried to follow students to class, all sorts of tiny furry things were constantly underfoot to the point where everyone had to watch every step they took, and there was a recent rash in students' pets mysteriously disappearing. Not just the students and the staff were disliking the school's new residents. According to the Hufflepuffs, every time they would walk past the kitchens, they would hear pots and pans clashing as well as dozens of high-pitch voices shrieking, "No! No! You no touch the students' food!"

What had many students most confused, though, was that the teachers had done absolutely nothing to expel all the creatures from the school. Professor Flitwick had just gone around to all the common rooms to tell them that the creatures invading their school would now be their guests for an indeterminate amount of time, and they would all just have to do their best to live together and get along. So far, it hadn't been working very well, but not because any of the students had done anything to tease or torment the visiting creatures; the students all had more sense than that. But the creatures were all used to having free reign of the forest just the way the students had in the castle. And the students refusing to stand up for their territory was taken as a sign of submission, letting the creatures believe they now had complete dominion over the people in Hogwarts castle as well. And the teachers, fearing venom, barbs, claws, and all other forms of retribution that could be used against the students and the staff, did nothing to change their minds.

The students all complained about the arrangement, but none of them spoke these to the teachers and certainly not to the creatures who were at the root of their complaints. The just all went about their schooldays as best they could while speaking to one another in hushed whispers anything the school visitors had done lately to makes their lives miserable.

Because of the disuse of the Great Hall, the members of the Arcane ScoRA were allowed no more casual meetings during the day. They did not even see one another together for several days after all the creatures arrived. One day, however, while Albus was in Double Potions with the Slytherins, Scorpius slipped Albus a note while Professor Vhartan was occupied with the bright blue pixies pulling her hair in eight different directions.

_Albus,_

I talked to Rose in Charms today. She says we have to meet today after class. She will be waiting for us in Myrtle's bathroom. She says we have been putting off meeting for far too long, and besides, as the Arcane ScoRA, we absolutely have to investigate the reason behind why all these creatures have all come to Hogwarts all at once. She even says she has a possible place for us to start.

Scorpius

Albus might have been worried about the note being seen at any other time, but as soon as he finished reading, one of the pixies who had been tormenting Professor Vhartan snatched up the parchment, glanced it over, and _ate_ it. As soon as it was completely devoured, the winged creature offered a surprisingly loud belch, causing the entire classroom to erupted in laughter. Wanting to share in the reaction the first pixie received, the other pixies began belching in a loud rhythm, causing the students to laugh louder still, which made the pixies belch louder. And on, and on, and on, until Professor Vhartan finally got sick of it all and told everyone to leave. And showing just how much he had learned from being friends with Rose, Scorpius grabbed Albus by the collar of his robes and dragged him off like a rag doll all the way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Even with the early dismissal from Potions, Rose was still waiting for them in the bathroom, pacing the floors. The stone floors were perfectly dry, showing the ghost girl would not be with them for this meeting.

"Alright!" Scorpius finally let go of Albus' robes. "What's this stupendous lead you claim to have found?"

Rose smiled slyly. "I think I have someone who might be able to tell us why all these creatures have come to our school," she told them. "A first-hand account."

She twirled in a happy manner, almost as though she were a small child again. "Let's go, before he changes his mind."

They had barely been in the bathroom for a moment before they finally followed her out, Rose skipping and dancing the whole way out, Albus slightly worried about who this witness with a 'first-hand account' would turn out to be.


	15. Chapter 15 Sightings

Chapter 15  
Sightings

Rose's so-called eye witness fell somewhat below the expectations Albus and Scorpius had had for him. After Transfiguration, Rose had snatched Albus up so they could head Scorpius off at the corridor before he left Defense Against the Dark Arts with the other Slytherins.

"C'mon!" Rose had ushered the boys along, nearly dragging them behind her. "I told him to meet us down this way."

It had been nothing short of amazing how Rose had been able to walk backwards at a pace that the two boys had found difficult to keep up with even at a brisk run. Eventually, they had made it to the library, where Rose had decided to instigate a game of follow the leader and had had the boys follow her in a crouching crabwalk underneath the desk where Madam Pince had been standing, eyes scanning for students engaging in any destructive behaviors towards her beloved books.

More painfully hunched walking had brought the three first-years deeper and deeper into the library stacks. Albus was beginning to notice a pattern to Rose's choice in meeting places; those Ravenclaws really _were_ starting to have a negative influence on his cousin.

After what had seemed like a highly unnecessary amount of time, Rose had finally stood up normally, allowing the boys to do the same as well. Walking on her tiptoes, Rose had then begun peeking around various corners, tiptoeing again, peeking around corners once more, then tiptoeing again….

"Alright, then," Rose had said, finally bringing the group to a sudden stop, "here we are!" The redhead had then turned to the creature in front of them. "Sorry I had to keep you waiting so long…."

And there they suddenly were, standing in front of the person that Rose had told them would be able to give them everything they needed, and more. Scorpius scoffed quite vocally, while Albus just found himself frozen and dumbstruck. Perhaps 'person' was a poor choice in words…

Rose's witness was a _centaur_, and not even one that appeared as though it could be of any assistance to the Arcane ScoRA.

The centaur was young: a mere…colt that didn't appear to be any older than Albus, Rose, or Scorpius themselves were. Come to think of it, Albus had no idea if centaurs even aged at the same rate as humans were. The colt in front of them had a bay coat with matted black hair, the human half of his body looking as though he had not had a bath in more than a week. Albus didn't know if this stemmed from being a wild creature or simply from being a child, like of any other species, human or otherwise, with a strong disdain for bathing.

"Boys, this is Caolán," Rose introduced. "He comes from the Forbidden Forest, he came here with his herd."

Rose then turned to the young centaur. "Caolán, this is Albus and this is Scorpius. Albus is my cousin, and Scorpius is my friend."

The young centaur eyed the two boys as though he were just as confused by their presence as much as Albus and Scorpius were by his.

Rose got his attention once again. "They want to know something, and so do I. Why did the creatures from the forests all come into the castle at the same time?"

The conversation was soon interrupted by Scorpius' shocked outburst. "You _must_ be joking!" he spat, as though he could no longer hold in his emotions.

Caolán, the centaur, looked over Rose's shoulders, appearing quite offended as well, but almost in a way that seemed as though he didn't quite understand why he should be so. It was a deathly glare that was shot by Rose, however, that stopped Scorpius' outburst right in its tracks. As soon as she seemed convinced that there would be no further interruptions, Rose turned back to the centaur colt.

"You know that a lot of creatures have been coming into the castle before you came here, don't you. But I don't think, though, that it has been for the same reasons that you and your herd came into the castle."

The boy/colt cocked his head to the side. "Why do you want to know all this, anyway?"

"Because we are just naturally curious, and, of course, we are concerned about things that could be dangerous to us and our classmates."

Rose said all of this while smiling a smile Albus had come to recognize as Rose's 'nervous smile': something that only came out when Rose knew she was in trouble or on the losing side of an argument and especially when she thought a cute expression might be able to get her out of it.

Trying to negotiate with the centaur colt, however, was not one of those moments.

"And…because I still have a lot more Licorice Wands," she added, jiggling the incentive in front of the colt's face. It took less than a moment for the boy to snatch the package out of Rose hand, munching on a wand while beginning to explain.

"The elders say Orion and Leo are having a power struggle," Caolán finally said, in-between bites. When he noted the confused looks on Scorpius and Albus' faces, he elaborated, pointing up towards the ceiling. "The constellations? Orion and Leo? The elders say there is unease between the two of them."

Scorpius wrinkled his nose and his brow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Caolán just shrugged. "My mother and father just said we had to go somewhere safe," he told them, "and then they said Hogwarts was the safest place in the world."

"Okay," Rose relented, "and why did you need to go somewhere safe?"

Caolán gulped down the last of his licorice. "Because Orion and Leo are having a power struggle," he repeated once again, looking at them as though he believed them all to be extremely stupid.

Behind her, Scorpius rolled his eyes, and Albus was extremely grateful for the fact that Rose was too preoccupied to have seen him.

"Alright, then," Rose said, taking a deep breath before giving up on that line of questioning and moving on. "Has anyone in your herd been saying anything else about what has been happening lately?"

"You mean, besides the elders?" Caolán question as he moved on to another Licorice Wand. "Why would you want to know that?"

Rose's hand went to her forehead. "Well, you'll just have to trust me when I say it could be very important. In an investigation, any piece of information could prove to be vital. My father's an Auror, so I know this to be true."

"In our herd, the word of our elders is what we live by. So, when they decided we needed to leave the forest, everyone just agreed that it was because Orion and Leo are in a power struggle."

Scorpius groaned at hearing the same bit of (what he considered to be) useless information, but Caolán wasn't done yet.

"But some of the yearlings," which Albus assumed must have been the human equivalent of teenagers from the way Caolán described them, "go off by themselves a great deal, and when they come back, they tell us about what they have seen."

Rose's face lit up at the first sign of real progress. "Splendid! Maybe you can tell me what some of those stories were…."

But in contrast to Rose's ecstatic expression, Caolán's face became very grim, reflecting his knowledge of the subject he was about to speak on. "A monster!" He spoke at a near-whisper. "A bad monster! They found footprints, bones, and even blood that it had left behind. They said that it would get us if we stayed in the forest. And they said that even _before_ the elders said we needed to leave!"

Caolán spoke this last sentence as though it were the greatest scandal in centaur history.

Rose pushed further. "Did any of them say what the monster was called?"

The colt shook his head. "No. They never did give the monster a name."

Rose nodded slowly. "Did anyone even _see_ the actual monster?"

The room was still for a moment, but eventually, the colt admitted the truth by shaking his head. "No one in the herd saw the monster, but we all knew it was there, because we could all see the evidence it had left behind," he said. "Oh, and that Orion and Leo are in a power struggle."

"No way!" Scorpius said, clearly fed up. "Why didn't you mention that before?"

But Rose and Caolán both ignored this, as though in their own little world. "It wasn't just us, you know?" the colt continued. "Every other animal in the forest is in this castle."

"Really? We didn't notice!" Scorpius shouted, only to still be ignored.

"So it couldn't just be a mistake with the stars, you know," the young centaur reasoned. "Every creature in the forest sensed something was wrong. Even you _humans_ seemed to know something is not right. I can tell by the way your adults are carrying themselves and by the way they whisper to one another."

Scorpius chose this moment to continue practicing his sarcasm. "Yeah, well, _we_ knew something was wrong the first time a monster showed up in the school corridors and tried to eat us!"

Rose finally turned around to meet with Scorpius' challenges, but she never got a chance to react, because they were happened upon by a rage-filled, librarian looming over them in a way that could strike fear into the hearts of any man.

"_WHY_ IS THERE ONE OF THOSE FILTHY CREATURES IN _MY_ LIBRARY?" Madam Pince shrieked at a volume and pitch that could have shattered glass. "Did you children bring that beast in here? I have NOT been spending every waking hour of these past weeks just to have students sneaking them in behind my back, let me tell you!"

Rose had barely opened her mouth before Madam Pince concluded the monologue with an ear-splitting, "EVERYBODY OUT!" No one argued.

Bodies, feet, and hooves went racing through the stacks of books and out into the school corridor. The three members of the Arcane ScoRA scrambled into a twisted staircase, while Caolánc clopped towards the Great Hall, where all the school's new resident creatures were _supposed_ to be.

"Well, wasn't that just so wonderfully productive?" Scorpius remarked once Caolán was out of range and the three friends were fighting with one another for elbow room. "What do we know now that we didn't know before we arrived here, anyway?"

Rose spun around, smacking Scorpius in the face with her hair. She stared up at him as though the boy had said something so wonderfully oblivious that she couldn't even believe it. "What on earth are you talking about, Scorpius? Weren't you paying even the tiniest bit of attention?"

Scorpius looked down at her. "I know than Orion and Leo are having a power struggle right now," he told her sarcastically. "Your little friend made _that_ quite clear."

Rose rolled her eyes as she stood to her feet, straightening her robes. "This is why nobody is ever able to figure their way out of anything in this world; they don't know what to do with the information they—"

"You know, Weasley," Scorpius interrupted, "I think you've been buddying around with the rest of those Ravenclaws for too long. You've been infected by their attitudes."

Albus scooted as far back against the wall as he possibly could. He was fairly certain Scorpius hadn't meant to push that particular button, but from the growing expression of rage on Rose's face, he had indeed pushed it nonetheless. Also, Albus noted the very vulnerable physical position Scorpius was currently in should Rose choose to _act_ on her anger.

"Centaurs talk in abstracts and riddles. Everyone knows that." So far so good. At least Rose hadn't made Scorpius cry…yet. "Caolán was explaining everything as clearly as he possibly knew how to. Now, it's just a matter of translating it all from centaur to human.

"No worries, though," Rose said, making her way down the stairs. "I was not placed in _Ravenclaw_ because I'm afraid of a challenge."

Before disappearing for good, however, the redhead turned to look over her shoulder. "If, however," Rose made sure to add, "that is too much for your own tiny brain to handle, I can most certainly handle it myself."

Not taking the insult very well, Scorpius pushed himself to stand and began to follow after Rose before Albus stopped him.

"No!" he insisted, as vehemently as he possibly could.

Scorpius turned to face his Gryffindor friend with a very wronged look on his face. "Did you not hear what she said? You would think that—"

"Trust me, Scorpius," Albus interrupted, knowing he was doing his friend a favor. "Once Rose has given you the opportunity to let something go, you take it! It will only be that much worse if you follow her and try to start that argument up again."

Snorting loudly, Scorpius looked over his shoulder as Rose disappeared around the corner to Merlin-knows where. "That cousin of yours has too big a head to even be a Ravenclaw!"

"Why are you complaining?" Albus asked. "At least _you_ don't have to do any of the centaur/human translating."

But Scorpius still looked over his shoulder, appearing quite wronged as Rose disappeared from sight.


	16. Chapter 16 The Wand of MacArt

Chapter 16  
The Wand of MacArt

Albus did not see his cousin for any substantial amount of time after the meeting with Caolán, the centaur colt. Even in Transfiguration, which Gryffindor had with the Ravenclaw, Albus was given no opportunities to speak with Rose. All through the class, Rose scanned through textbooks and notebooks at a nearly frantic pace. Frankly, she looked like a madwoman, but no one said a thing. Professor Dugan lectured, some students took notes (and a few of them snickered and pointed), but no one did a thing to interrupt her work, Albus included.

As soon as class ended, Rose raced back to Ravenclaw tower and Albus did not see his cousin for days—not in the Great Hall, the library, or even the corridors.

That came to end, however, on Friday afternoon, as Albus was on his way to the greenhouses for Herbology. When Albus found himself somewhat cut off from the herd of clabbering Gryffindors around him, he heard a voice shouting his name from up above him. When he looked over his shoulder, he could see a messy mass of rumbled black robes, topped with tangled red hair, racing in his direction. Her arms were waving above her head and she looked just as crazy and out of her mind as Albus had ever seen her. Any other person's first instinct would have been to run, but Albus, of course, stayed right where he was. Any other person would have questioned Albus' self-preservation instincts.

"Albus!" Rose called out to her cousin. "Albus, stop! Please!"

And so Albus stood there on the path, until, finally, Rose caught up to him. When she finally reached his side, she hunched over, clutching at her sides and breathing hard. "Rose, what is it?" Albus asked once Rose finally steadied herself back on her feet.

Rose stood on her tiptoes to peer over Albus' shoulder, almost as though she were playing the lookout. "You're going to have to forgive me for this," she said rather suddenly.

Albus was confused. "For what?" he asked, immediately cautious.

Instead of offering a verbal answer, however, Rose gave Albus' right ankle a very sharp kick. A kick that was so sudden and so hard, Albus actually screamed out in pain and crumpled down to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a mixture of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs continuing towards the greenhouse, though Albus couldn't be sure if anyone had actually seen what had _caused_ the show in front of them. While Albus was still crouched on the ground, groaning in pain, Professor Longbottom came rushing up the path, trying to see what had happened.

Before Albus could say different, Rose took control of the situation. "Albus can't come to class today, Professor Longbottom," she told their teacher quickly. "He twisted his ankle on the path…don't you think I should take him to Madam Pomfrey?"

Before the Herbology teacher could ask Rose what she was doing outside in the first place, or even give permission to take his student back to the castle, Rose hoisted her cousin up off the ground, steadying him with her shoulders, and took off back towards the castle, going much too quickly to be considered therapeutic for anyone. A few times, Albus considered informing Rose of this, but every time he came close to saying anything, he took particular note of the manic expression on his cousin's face and he thought better of it, and decided to just try and run a little bit faster in order to keep up with her.

By the time they had reached the outside of the Hospital Wing, Rose finally allowed her cousin to drop to the stone floor. "Okay," Rose turned around to instruct him, "you have to wait until after I go in before you go to Madam Pomfrey yourself. I'm going to tell her I'm sick, so that she will let me stay in the Hospital Wing. You just wait a bit before you come in yourself."

And, with that, Rose left her cousin on the floor and made her way into the Hospital Wing, her tone changing notably as she began complaining of fake stomach pains and hurting in her head. When the complaining finally became somewhat quieter, Albus struggled to bring himself to his feet and limped his way in after his cousin. When Madam Pomfrey saw him, she simply shook her head and clicked her tongue at what she perceived to be a long line of hurt children in a row. Behind the Mediwitch, Albus could see a great deal of other students—some ill, some injured—waiting to be treated. Madam Pomfrey directed Albus over towards a line of cots, and told him to lie down while he waited. Before Madam Pomfrey even finished her sentence, however she had already turned around to make her way over to the line of still-waiting students.

As Albus made his way over to the row of beds, he could see his cousin lying on top of the sheets, pretending to moan in pain, though pushing herself up once she saw her cousin.

On the hospital bed right next to her sat Scorpius, but there was absolutely nothing fake about his reason for being in the Hospital Wing. He was holding a blood-soaked rag over his nose, and both of his eyes were on the verge of turning black; his expression was one of annoyance, frustration, and still-fading shock.

Albus' own eyes went wide as he sat down on his friend's bed. "What happened to you?" he exclaimed.

Scorpius looked over to glare at Rose. "She hit me in the face with her book bag."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, boys," Rose told them, moving to sit upright on her own bed. "It will be easy enough to fix, though, as soon as Madam Pomfrey finishes up with that poor sap over there."

"Don't tell me you're responsible for _that_ as well," Scorpius remarked.

For a long time, Rose just looked the boy straight in the eyes without saying a word; definitely not a very good sign. Eventually, Roses snapped back down to her notes, manically flipping through the pages filled with scribbling. "It came to me so very suddenly while I was in History of Magic! Professor Binns was telling everyone to get out their notes…and while I was looking for a clean sheet of paper, I came across _this_!"

Rose stopped very suddenly, her index finger pointing sharply towards the middle of the page in her lap. "As soon as I began reading, I started remembering…and I began to see it all so clearly, as though it were being spelled out right in front of my eyes."

"Cormac MacArt," Rose read out loud, "was a third-century king in Ireland." Rose looked up. "Muggles know of his existence as well, but like Professor Binns said, they don't know the whole story behind him." She glanced back down to continue reading.

"Cormac MacArt was born the illegitimate son of a High King. His mother was a witch who had met the king on the eve of his final battle. The king died before Cormac was even born, and while he was still a toddler, he was separated from his mother and he never saw her again. But luckily for Cormac MacArt, a mother wolf found him, took pity on him, and raised him right alongside her own cubs. As he grew older, he became a full member of the pack, especially when the other wolves saw how useful Cormac's magic could be to them himself."

_How would a wolf even be able to distinguish what was done by magic? Did wolves even know what magic was?_ Albus thought to himself. _And how would they know that Cormac MacArt was the one responsible for it…unless they spoke English and Cormac told them?_

"Now, this was in the days before Hogwarts even existed. Cormac was therefore forced to study magic on his own, in any way he could. That included making his own tools, even his own wand."

Rose flipped to the next page. "The Wand of MacArt was carved from the femur of a rival pack leader that Cormac himself had slain. The core came from the feather Cormac had taken from a phoenix just before it had burst into flames. Cormac believed that the creature had offered itself to him for the sole purpose of having its feather used in his wand."

Rose turned yet another page. She had obviously taken a great deal of notes related to this one man. Albus wondered if she had taken them all during class, or if she had just done more of her own research after coming to whatever conclusion it was that she had about everything that had been happening.

"It was only after his wand's completion that MacArt truly came into his true potential as a wizard." Rose voice gradually became lower, more severe. "Even though he never learned a great deal in terms of Potions or theory-based magic, he was highly gifted in terms of combat spells and any magic for which he used his wand.

"Because of the way he was raised, MacArt held a strong rapport with the creatures of the forest where he was raised. They came to see him as the pack leader of not only his wolf pack, but of every creature in the wilderness."

Taking a quick break to breathe, Rose returned to her reading. "When Cormac reached adulthood, he returned to the mountains of Tara in order to take his place as the new High King. He stormed into the then-current king's castle with his wolf pack following him, serving as his army."

"But wait," Scorpius stopped her, "if he was only a toddler when he was separated from his mother, how did he know he was destined to be the king?"

"SCORPIUS, will you shut up and pay attention?" Rose shrieked at the top of her lungs. Albus was shocked that Madam Pomfrey did not seem to hear her. But it did effectively shut up Scorpius, whose lips pursed into a tight little line. As soon as Rose appeared satisfied that she would not be interrupted again, she began her reading once again.

"Those who were in the castle at the time of the siege said Cormac MacArt possessed an unusual ability to control the animals who served as his army, directing them with his handcrafted wand. But when the reigning king sent his own creatures into battle—magical creatures, as well as mundane—they fell under MacArt's control as well. They had no sense of loyalty to their masters, or even of their own mortality in a lot of cases. All they knew was what MacArt's wand commanded," Rose said these last few words with an odd sort of inflection in her voice. "Needless to say, Cormac MacArt overthrew the old king, took the throne, and actually became a great and beloved king."

Finally, Rose finished reading, taking a very large gulp of air as she closed her composition book. While Rose appeared relaxed and content now that her reading was complete, the two boys in front of her had their eyes wide open, jaws dropped down. Rose regaled them with a stare that seemed be questioning what there _possibly_ was to be confused about.

"So…," Albus' voice trailed off, "what are you saying, then?"

Rose eyed her cousin, as though she could not believe that Albus wasn't able to connect the dots himself. "Think for a moment, Albus. This ancient king had a special wand, one that he built himself, one that was able to control any animal he wished. What does this remind you of?"

In order to further illustrate her point, she reopened her composition book and shoved it into Albus' face so that the print was barely an inch in front of his eyes. "Does any-_thing_, any _object_ in this story, sound like it could possibly be related to otherwise unexplained events in this school?" Rose shoved the pages closer still, so that they actually hit Albus in the nose.

Scorpius tried to raise his eyebrows and appear as understanding as he possibly could with a broken nose and two black eyes. "You honestly think _someone_ in this castle _somehow_ got their hands on some two thousand-year-old wand, and is now using said wand, which somehow still functions perfectly after all this time?"

While Rose was distracted by the question, Albus pushed the composition book down so he could see the conversation taking place. When Scorpius said it like that, it did seem to be extremely unlikely, but Rose did not seem to be swayed so easily.

"It makes as much sense as anything else does," she said to Scorpius, trying to persuade him to believe what he currently thought to be an idiotic explanation for everything that been happening to them that year. "Don't you remember all the questions we were asked when the Aurors came to our school? Maybe, if you can recall some of the more specific details, it might become a bit more likely to you."

Scorpius scowled, but Albus actually did attempt to think back to the incident that had occurred all those weeks ago. Between the creatures breaking into the school and nearly being eaten alive on a fairly regular basis, being questioned by the Ministry did not seem like such a terribly outstanding event after all.

But mere seconds after following his cousin's advice, he began to see what it was she was referring to.

"They were completely obsessed with our wands," Albus realized. "And my dad asked me if I had ever been to Ireland!"

It did seem to make sense…for a while. Again, Scorpius pointed out the sheer flaws in logic that the theory possessed. "And? So what?" he asked. "They think someone just snatched the thing up when no one was looking?"

Rose stared the boy down, confident, prepared for this. "They must have had their suspicions that someone must have gotten their hands on it," she reasoned. "Even if they don't know exactly how they found it, they must believe that they somehow must have gotten this tool to work for them. It's a near-perfect explanation for everything that has been happening this year, don't you see?"

"But why would they even bother asking to see people's wands and bring in a wand expert to examine them?" Scorpius brought up yet another good point. "Surely they couldn't have been stupid enough to think the student would just hand that sort of thing over to the Ministry…unless he was completely daft somehow, despite being clever enough to find and use this wand."

But, yet again, Rose had an answer pre-prepared for that question as well. It made Albus wonder if she had actually played this debate out in her head before even tracking down her friends. "Maybe they were trying to see if anyone was using their wand less than what would have been expected." Rose's fingers began tapping on the cover of her composition book. "I mean, if a person had a powerful wand like the Wand of MacArt, I'm sure they would want to use that a lot more than whatever wand they might have gotten when they were eleven."

Scorpius furrowed his brow. "And this is supposed to serve as further proof that someone at this school actually _has_ this Wand of MacArt?"

"It serves as proof that the Ministry thinks one of the students here does." Despite the fact that it was clear that Scorpius remained unconvinced, that did not stop Rose from holding tight to her own theory as though it were fact.

Albus took his turn to join in the conversation. "The only problem is we have no idea who would even have the Wand of MacArt," he said. "And, if the Ministry's finest Aurors couldn't figure it out themselves, what makes you think we have a chance?"

Rose's eyes drifted upward and her index finger tapped against her chin as the wheels in her head began turning. "There might be a way to find out though."

Albus felt every muscle in his body clench as Rose prepared to tell him and Scorpius of her plan of action.

"There is a monster in the Forbidden Forest; everyone knows it," Rose said, her inner know-it-all showing. "All the creatures have fled to the castle because of it, and yet, with all possible food sources gone, we still have yet to see it trying to come into the castle itself. In spite of the fact that all the other creatures we have seen so far have tried.

"It's still out there for a reason," Rose deduced. "The person wielding the Wand of MacArt is keeping it out there."

Neither of the boys guessed what this could possibly mean, likely because the just didn't want to. But luckily—or unluckily—Rose was more than willing to draw the conclusion for them.

"If we can find the creature, there is a good chance that we will also be able to find the person who summoned it, as well."

"Or commit suicide trying!" Scorpius remarked sarcastically still, though it didn't sound quite right when he said it with a broken nose.

Rose shot him an incredulous look. "But it makes perfect sense," she tried to argue. "A creature as great and powerful as whatever made everyone in the forest flee is likely not going to obey orders from afar, even with the Wand of MacArt.

"Whoever it was would likely have to spend a great deal of time in the immediate presence of this creature. Meaning that, if we were to find this creature, the chances would be that we would come across the person controlling it as well."

"You know, Rose," Scorpius said slowly. "That is actually a brilliant idea."

Rose's face lit up. "You really think so?"

"Yes," he agreed, his tone suddenly becoming snide, "aside from the fact that it is completely and utterly _insane_!"

Rose's jaw dropped slightly, in the manner of someone completely offended. Scorpius alluded further. "We have no idea what's out there!" he tried to make himself clear. "And at any rate, whatever does happen to be out there, do you imagine it is anything a trio of first-years would be able to handle, at least, given the reactions we have seen from our dear guests?"

Despite Scorpius' insistence, however, Rose did not appear discouraged in the slightest. "We've been able to handle every other creature that has come our way," she argued, shaking her head. "Even the Quintaped, one of the most dangerous creatures in the world….I know it could very well be dangerous, but it won't be as though we will be diving in head-first."

"Well, Rose, since you seem to have all the answers here, what do you suggest we do with this new found information?"

Had Albus not gone completely stiff with surprise, he probably would have warned Scorpius of just how bad an idea it was to allow Rose to be given complete control over the choice of action. But Rose beat Albus before he could interject any such remark, however. "Tonight, we're going to go into the Forbidden Forest ourselves and see if we can find whoever it is who has the Wand of MacArt. Like I said before, if the monster is staying the in forest, then the person controlling it has to be somewhere nearby."

"But what if we run into the monster instead?" Albus asked in a small voice.

Rose held herself confidently. "Well given our track record, we'll be much more prepared for _that_ than we would have been for a human being. But either way, no one on earth could be better qualified to find them than the three of us are."

Rose seemed ready to sprint out to the forest right then and there, but the two boys remained firmly attached to their hospital beds. "Rose," Scorpius said, "have I neglected to mention how completely and utterly mad you are right now?"

Finally, Rose did stand up, her hands on her hips. "You asked me what we were going to do, and I told you!"

The loud tone of Rose's voice left no room for argument. The Arcane ScoRA was most definitely going into the Forbidden Forest…and they were going there tonight.

* * *

Thanks to a mirage of sick students, coming in one wave after another, Madam Pomfrey found herself unable to pay a great deal of attention to the members of the Arcane ScoRA, although she did manage to eventually fix Scorpius' nose. They were so greatly ignored, in fact, that Rose was able to leave the Hospital Wing for various intervals for things in her dormitory she thought might prove to useful while scavenging the woods, including the Invisibility Cloak. Albus and Scorpius, on the other hand, elected to stay in the Hospital Wing, being the only members of the Arcane ScoRA who were actually injured and therefore in need of medical attention.

Coincidentally, every time Rose returned to the Hospital Wing, she seemed to bring with her a new cluster of ill and injured students, leading Albus to believe it might not be so coincidental, after all.

Once Madam Pomfrey got around to fixing Scorpius' black eyes and various other head injuries, she shooed him out of the Hospital Wing so his bed could be given to one of the incoming students—he was doubled over, complaining of the exact same symptoms everyone else had been. Scorpius left the Hospital Wing, a little bit unsteady on his feet, on his way to retrieve the _Marauders' Map_, which was still in the Slytherin dormitories.

"I told Scorpius to meet us in the courtyard by the fountain," Rose told Albus after Scorpius had left. "From there, we can make a straight run to the Forbidden Forest, and if we can just get there without getting caught, we should be fine."

Albus nodded, but found himself squirming further into his hospital bed. He just could not bring himself to the level of excitement and confidence Rose possessed in their undertaking…he could not even manage the reluctant acceptance that Scorpius had. Some Gryffindor he was, apparently.

Even after Madam Pomfrey had healed his injured ankle, Rose had allowed her cousin to remain in his bed for some time, in order to mentally prepare himself for the journey to the forest. But Albus knew that, deep down, that no matter how long he was allowed to wait, it probably wouldn't help him feel any braver about running off into the Forbidden Forest. Finally, he just assured his cousin that he was ready to go, even though it wasn't completely true.

"Madam Pomfrey," Rose called out, "Albus says he's feeling a lot better, and so am I. May be go back to our towers, please?"

Madam Pomfrey clearly still found herself too preoccupied with other patients to give the remaining members of the Arcane ScoRA her full attention, she just waved them off while multi-tasking medical care between two beds. Rose reached down under her own bed for her book bag and ushered her cousin out into the corridor, pushing gently at his shoulder.

Once they were out of the Hospital Wing, Rose pulled the Invisibility Cloak from her bag in a single, flourishing movement and draped it over their heads. It gave Albus a small twinge of security knowing that they would not be caught by any of the teachers or prefects, but not all that much—the Cloak was only helping them move faster towards the pit of beasts.

They made it to the castle courtyard without any incident; from beneath the Cloak, Albus could see Scorpius sitting on the edge of the fountain, back straight, an expression of vigilance across his face. Before Albus could even perceive what was happening, Rose began moving forward faster, pulling the Cloak up off Albus as she took it with her; then she was gone. It took barely a moment, though, before Albus was able to see the scene for himself: Rose threw the Cloak off her body and grabbed Scorpius roughly and suddenly by the shoulder. The boy very nearly screamed, but he quickly clamped his hands over his mouth as he struggled to keep his balance on the edge of the fountain. Rose had her own hands over her mouth as well, in order to muffle her laughter, while Scorpius's own hands did nothing to hide the furious expression on his face. Even Albus couldn't help but snicker slightly at the scene in front of him, though it fortunately remained unheard.

Rose and Scorpius exchanged combative looks all the way across the grounds, and Albus amused himself by watching them. In fact, by the time they eventually did reach the edge of the forest, they appeared to be shocked at their location and their close proximity to the thick shield of trees. The three children stood frozen for the moment, as though blinded by exceedingly bright lights.

Scorpius finally broke the silence. "So what do we do now, Madam Leader Weasley?"

The condescending tone appeared to be what it took for Rose to snap out of her state of shock and shoot Scorpius an angered glare. "I would think that would be obvious, Master Malfoy."

It was with that that Rose simply began moving forward. Her gait became slightly more acrobatic once she reached the dense brush. Lifting at the hems of her robes, she made her eay deeper and deeper into the forest, until it became more and more of a trial for Albus to see her. When that point came, Scorpius followed after her, but Albus rushed ahead of him so that Rose would not see that Albus had been the last one to be courageous enough follow after her.

For a long stretch into the forest, the three children scrambled their way through the obstacle course of fallen branches, damp and slimy leaves, and the occasional stone cutting across the soles of their feet. Eventually, Scorpius was again the first to break the silence.

"Does anyone else find this a bit odd?" he asked as he stumbled over a pile of fallen branches.

"How so?" Albus could hear Rose call out from her head start.

"I mean, with all we have heard from the teachers about students not being allowed into the Forbidden Forest, it would seem logical that it would be pretty hard to get into, and we just sort of 'walked into it,' didn't we?"

"It's surprisingly less difficult than you might think," Rose told him over the sound of trigs cracking beneath her feet. "They used to have kids do detentions in here before the school finally made that sort of punishment against school policy."

"And, according to our Uncle George, our family has been sneaking into this forest for generations," Albus added, trying to contemplate the best way to climb through a fallen oak limb.

Rose took her turn to shout over her shoulder. "It's all in our blood, and that's probably why Albus and I can sneak into the Forbidden Forest so easily. As for you, I have no idea. Maybe you're just a freak of nature."

Whatever sort of snarky expression Scorpius chose to take on would probably been a great deal more effective had it not been for the inconveniently-placed pile of decomposing forest material that caused him to suddenly fall flat on his face, his school robe tearing to shreds on the limb Albus had just maneuvered his way through.

"_Not—a—word!_" the blond boy managed to hiss, still face-down in the damp earth. Up ahead, Albus was vaguely certain he could hear his cousin snickering at the display, though making sure to keep it at a decibel that Scorpius would not be able to hear.

Albus doubled back through the twisting branches to help Scorpius to his feet, though the robe was a lost cause; they left it dangling in shreds in the limbs, scraps flying in the wind. Scorpius, however, didn't appear to mourn the loss, undoing his tie and stuffing it into his trouser pocket before he could accidentally hang himself with it next. After Albus helped Scorpius to stand steady on his feet for the first few strides, the boys made their way forward until they were finally able to catch up to Rose, who was waiting rather impatiently beside a moss-covered elm.

By the time they began walking again, Scorpius pushed away from Albus so that he could walk on his own once again. It was a matter of Malfoy pride, after all; he could hardly have anyone see him dangling from a Potter. Even if they _were_ friends…or whatever the three first-years considered themselves to be, and even if there appeared to be no one else in the forest. "So how are we even supposed to find this creature when we don't even have any idea what it is we are looking for?"

"Well, to start with, anyone who is afraid of the monster is in the castle right now," Rose said to the two boys, almost perfectly imitating the know-it-all tone that Aunt Hermione used so well herself, "so, not only will any fresh tracking signs we come across mostly likely be from the monster in question, but probably any intimidating creature that we come across will probably be the one we are looking for."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows, befuddled. "What are tracking signs anyway?"

Rose rolled her eyes, as though she were disgusted by what she must have perceived as Scorpius' 'sheltered, highbred upbringing.' "Things like _this_," she said, pointing out damage to the tree branch just above her head. "The twigs on this branch are damaged, but still hanging by flexible bark. That means it happened recently, like maybe after all the forest creature came to the castle."

"What about things like this?" Albus asked suddenly, pointing down towards what he had first perceived as a shallow hole.

But it was, in fact, when Albus looked down to examine it further, a footprint: a very large footprint. It was a deep one too, showing that whatever had made it was very heavy, as well as very massive in size. Albus could make out every single one of its toes, as well as the smaller dots that had to the creature's claws. Albus could tell just from the beast's footprint that it was one that he most certainly did not want to meet any time soon.

"Wow!" Scorpius exclaimed as he and Rose made their way closer to see it for themselves. "Those are very, _very_ big footprints!"

Rose knelt down to the ground, brushing her finger over the indentation that one of the toes had made. With the other hand, she reached for the book bag hoisted over her shoulder and extracted her burgundy copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. With her eyes still on the ground, she began thumbing her way through the pages, not really settling on any section in particular.

"They look like they belong to a lion," Albus remarked, crouching down beside Rose to get a better look.

Scorpius just shook his head. "I don't think even lions are that big." He, in fact, was beginning to back away from the footprint, as though even _that_ could potentially be dangerous.

Rose nodded her head confidently, standing up straight. "I think we have just found our first important clue," she said to the boys, holding the textbook, reading and walking at the same time. "We may become professional Creature Trackers yet."

When Rose started making a substantial amount of distance between them, Scorpius yelled after her, "Wait! What are we doing?"

Rose gave the boy a look as though she could not believe that he did not know the answer for himself. "We're following them," she stated bluntly. "Normally when you follow a set of footprints, it will eventually lead you to whatever made them, you know."

Albus could tell that Scorpius wanted to protest, but he never got the chance to. Whatever conversation that might have occurred was interrupted right then and there by a terrifyingly loud cry that echoed through the whole forest. Once the initial pain of the sheer volume of it had died down, Albus was able to actually listen to the cry. It was almost like what the tuning of the world's worst orchestra would sound like if it were intensified by a hundred different wizards casting _Sonorus_ charms. It sounded extraordinarily un-poetic when Albus whispered it to himself, but he could think of no other way to describe it.

As soon as it ended though, the forest air continued to ring with an echo. For a long time, no one in the group spoke.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" Scorpius shouted, as though he had gone partially deaf and did not know how loud he was speaking.

"It almost sounded like a trumpet." Albus decided not to share his initial description with his friends.

Albus, and probably Scorpius also, waited for Rose to offer her comment on the matter, but when nothing was heard, both boys looked up to see what could possibly be keeping the Weasley girl so quiet.

Rose's eyes were wide and her bottom lip was quivering, her shoulders shaking. Her expression was one of heavy dread, her arms wrapped around the textbook, holding it over her chest like a breastplate.

"What?" Albus asked her, though he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what was wrong.

Rose's eyes drifted down to the ground and she began chewing on her bottom lip.

"You know what creature it is that's here, don't you?" Scorpius accused, pointing at the book that she was hanging onto for dear life. "You've been reading that book obsessively for weeks now, and I know that look on your face well enough by now."

Rose kept her eyes cast downward, as though she thought that if she just didn't make eye contact with Scorpius, he would just leave her alone. Of course, _that_ didn't work. Scorpius moved forward until he was standing mere inches from Rose's face. He would have been standing nose to nose with her if she would just look up.

"Even if you don't know for certain what it is, you have a very strong guess," Scorpius pressed further, tilting his head to the side as he bent down to try and meet her gaze. "You need to tell me and Albus. You know that's not fair for the two of us to go one step further if we don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

The girl shifted her head up, but instead of meeting eyes with Scorpius, she looked to her cousin, as though _he_ could offer her some sort of answer, even though from all past experience, Albus knew he could not _make_ his cousin do anything.

Finally, though, Rose allowed the book to fall open to a marked page; she held it up for the boys to see. The page held up in front of them depicted a most fearsome-looking beast. A drawing showed what appeared to be a lion with a remarkably human-looking face flexing its multitude of muscles. On its hind end, however, was a massive tail that could only otherwise be found on a scorpion, with a stinger that looked as though it had to be at least as large as Albus' own arm.

"Manticore," Rose recited, her voice shaking. "A carnivorous beast native to Greece, considered by Magizoologists to be the most dangerous magical creature in existence."

Both boys leaned forward to get a better look at the illustrations in the book. Like in all of their textbook, the ink drawing was moving, making eye contact with Albus and Scorpius as though it were ready to pounce on _them_ for its next meal.

"It has the ability to speak in human languages, a remarkable amount of physical body strength, and the stinger at the end of its tail contains enough venom to kill five men in one strike."

Rose turned the book so the pages were facing her, so that she could face the beast as well. "Its tail, however, is not the only method of killing that the creature uses. Its claws can grow to be up to foot long, and it has more than fifty sharp teeth capable of shattering a human skull. It has a fondness, especially, for human flesh, and it is even said to croon while it eats."

With those final words, Rose carefully closed the textbook and went back to holding it against the boys. Peeking up through her bright red fringe, she watched the boys for whatever reaction they might have. But, to be fair, Rose looked as though she would not object if the boys decided they wanted to run back to the castle right then and there.

But Scorpius surprised the whole group. "Alright, then!" He clapped his hands together. "Let's keep following those footprints, shall we?"

And with that, Scorpius moved on ahead of the group, leaving a very shocked Albus and Rose standing in the brush. When the boy finally did realize he was alone, he looked over his shoulder at his very bewildered companions. "What? You're both honestly going to have me take a manticore on all by myself?"

Rose's jaw dropped slightly; she still was clutching her book, to the point where her knuckles were beginning to whiten, but she did step forward. "Are you sure?"

Scorpius gestured to draw attention to his missing robes, as well as the tears in his clothing and the scratches across his arms and legs. "I did _not_ get dragged all this way just for you to decide you don't _feel like_ tracking this thing down anymore!" he said loudly, though in a way that did not contain any real malice. "We're finding this manticore, or whatever it is, whether you like it or not!"

It was with that Scorpius marched off into the forest, following the line that the gigantic tracks had made. After a few moments, Rose finally followed after him, Albus at her side. Glancing in his cousin's direction, Albus could see an expression of near-awe on Rose's face, and probably as close to a smile as the girl could possibly have in this situation.

It probably wasn't that Rose wasn't especially impressed at Scorpius' behavior, but that she felt a lot more at ease knowing that her friends were willing to stand beside her in all of this and she would not have to face this monster alone…as though Albus would even _allow_ that to be a possibility.

And so the three member of the Arcane ScoRA continued to follow the footprints, one after the other, rushing between the massive strides that they made. All along the trail of footprints, various other clues were littered across the ground. Bones, more bones, a few bits of fur, broken branches, blood, more blood, red blood, silver blood, green blood, purple blood…

The trail of footprints dissolved into darkness as they disappeared into a dank cave, carved into the side of a cliff. Scattered around the entrance were even more littered remains even more animal bones, and even more splotches of dried blood all across the stone walls and the earth just in front of the entrance. A great deal of the dirt was upset as well, from where the creature had apparently clawed at the earth with its great claws, more so than any plow could ever hope to do. The entire effect made for a greatly imposing scene, one that would have struck fear into wizards far greater than the three children standing before it.

"Let me guess," Scorpius said to no one in particular. "We're all going into the dark scary cave with all the bones in front of it, right?"

Albus wasn't quite sure why Scorpius had said this, though, because he was the first one to make his way forward. Even though he had complained and grumbled about their stupidity the whole way, he now took on the role of leader, stepping high over the rib bones of a unicorn, or possibly a centaur.

The inside of the cave was dank and dim, just as anyone would have expected. Three separate wands cast _Lumos_ charms one they reached the cave's deep darkness. The cave's interior showed more evidence of the presence of a massive and dangerous creature, certainly, but it held more clues and secrets still. Across the cave wall were primitive sorts of paintings, ones that couldn't be terribly old, from the way they smudged when Rose brushed her fingertips across them, in addition to the colorful packaging that candies were usually wrapped in, as well as bits of newsprint and crumpled note paper, and many other things that suggested the presence of an easily-bored witch or wizard. Of course, from the nature of the events that had been occurring all these months, that likely could have been a given.

As they ventured further into the cavern, they only saw more evidence of a human presence alongside that of the manticore.

"What did I tell you?" Rose remarked, eyes cast down towards the ground. "I have a feeling that manticores do not read the Quidditch reports." Rose picked up more litter. "Or eat Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."

"Yes, yes, Rosie was right," Scorpius drawled, eyeing over the evidence Rose had found. "All hail the great and wise firstborn Weasley!"

Rose offer a slight snort of satisfaction, but did not remain distracted for very long.

"Nothing in here seems particularly identifying, though," she said, kicking at the bits of trash. "Candy wrappers…Quidditch magazines…crumpled, _unidentifiable_ school notes…for we know, _Albus_ has been summoning all these creatures into the castle."

Rose snickered, but Albus felt himself stiffen at what sounded like a potential accusation. "I'm haven't been, just for the record."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows and Rose wrinkled her nose, but Albus wanted to make certain that there was no possibility that any of what had been happening this year could possibly be blamed on him. He had heard of a great deal of Muggle movies where such things happened.

"We know that, Albus," Scorpius assured him in a slightly snide manner, grinding at the earth at his feet.

Once this was established, though, no one made a move to go any further, quite possibly because no one knew _where_ to go from here. Yes, they had just figured out what sort of creature was wandering the woods, they knew how it was being controlled, and they had even stumbled upon this lair and this incredible amount of evidence that had only served to prove they were right. But what were they supposed to do with all of it? They couldn't very well waltz into Professor Flitwick's office and tell him all they had seen. Not without bring a thousand other questions—and possibly punishments—into the equation.

Looking around the cavern, holding his lighted wand high, Albus could see the varying expressions of frustration, even anger on his friends' faces, from the annoyed twitching all across Scorpius' face and frame to Rose twisting at her hair, looking as though she was about ready to start tearing it out.

They were saved from needing to solve this dilemma themselves as a familiar voice greeted them from behind.


	17. Chapter 17 The Manticore

Chapter 17  
The Manticore

"What are you doing here, Little Potter?"

Profiled by the light of his own _Lumos_ charm was a dark-haired fourth-year whose black robes were trimmed in Gryffindor red, his furrowed features casting shadows across his expression.

"Maddox!" Albus was the first to acknowledge the other boy. "What are you doing here?"

Maddox's eyebrows shot up slightly, changing the dimensions of light and shadow that played across his face. "I could ask you the exact same thing, Little Potter. What do you and your friends think you're doing out here? As though there is ever an appropriate time to be out in the Forbidden Forest."

From behind him, Albus could hear Rose say, "You almost sound like Dominique."

Maddox rolled his eyes and snorted slightly. "Insults will get you nowhere today, Rose Weasley. I'm not sure if there is a greater sign that the forest is especially dangerous than if every creature in it chooses to evacuate. If this is all some sort of contest for stupidest first-year stunt, I'm fairly certain the three of you have won."

Albus struggled to find his words. Of _course_ there was no way Maddox could have understood. He didn't have all the details. Albus was so overwhelmed by it all, even _he_ barely understood what they were doing out there.

"Maddox, there is a manticore in the forest!" he finally managed to blurt out. "I know I told you all about the creatures me, Rose, and Scorpius have been fighting—"

Albus could hear the duel gasps of betrayal behind him, but it only stopped him for the briefest of moments. "—and now we've come to the forest because we know the creature terrorizing it is a manticore. We think it lives right in this very cave. We're…not quite sure what we're going to do once we find it, but no one else seems to be doing anything about these creatures!"

"Just because no one has seen fit to keep three first-years in the loop does not mean that adults everywhere have been sitting on their thumbs." Maddox said, shaking his head at what he perceived as Albus' naivety. "Look, I promise I won't tell any of the teachers where I found you if you'll just leave right now. The only question is whether you'll be willing to go back to the castle on your own, or if I have to drag you back myself."

Albus might have protested further were it not for the fact that he could see very little way of talking himself out of this situation. Maddox was a great deal older, and definitely more powerful than any member of the Arcane ScoRA; if he _did_ end up having to take them back to the castle, there were quite a few different ways he could go about doing it.

When Albus was just about to make an about-face for the cave entrance, he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Scorpius reach into the sleeve of his robe. Anyone else might not have seen the significance of this motion, but Albus, who had been raised among Aurors, recognized it in an instant: it was a technique of concealing ones wand so one could have the advantage in a duel. How Scorpius knew such a technique, though, Albus had no idea.

And before Albus could even react, Scorpius thrust his wand out in front of him, shouting, "_Conjunctivitis_!"

"_Finite Incantatum_!" In a perfectly fluid movement, Maddox looped his wand in an arch, causing the light shooting from Scorpius' wand to fizzle out, now completely harmless to anyone.

Albus spun to face his friends, only to find a sight even more shocking than the one he had just turned away from. Not only was Scopius still standing, wand at-the-ready, completely prepared to fight, but so was Rose, her position a perfect mirror of Scorpius' own stance.

"Guys!" Albus gaped.

"Albus!" Rose exclaimed, pointing back behind him with her free hand. "For Merlin's sake, look at what he has in his hand!"

So once again, Albus turned on his heels to see what it was his cousin was referring to…an object that was half-hidden in Maddox's hand. It was a pale, bleached wand. An aged wand, although it had none of the knots or lines Albus had come to see in the wands belonging to his family, his teachers, and his classmates.

It was then that it hit Albus…and eventually Maddox too. Scorpius had tricked Maddox into reaching for the object he had tried so hard, up until now, to keep hidden.

"So," Maddox said, with clenched teeth, in a very slow sort of way, "who's going to be the first to say it?"

But no one _had_ to say it. Grasped tightly in Maddox's hand was the infamous Wand of MacArt. Even though Albus had never seen a picture of the object, he knew this was it. It had to be it!

At first, Albus was simply dumbstruck, although it finally occurred to him to draw his wand as well…after a bit of silent prompting from Rose. Scorpius was the first to begin advancing forward, though his actions were extremely short-lived.

"I would seriously rethink your choice of actions, Mr. Malfoy," Maddox said, stopping the boy with a menacing tone. "As it has been said, there is a dangerous monster running loose in these woods, and _someone_ in this cave is controlling it."

Finally, though very reluctantly, the members of the Arcane ScoRA lowered their wands. "Much better," Maddox remarked, sounding amused at his ability to control the younger students. "Now, children, what's say we set those wands down over there before someone accidentally gets hurt?"

Maddox gestured to a flat rock off to the side. At the insult, Scorpius nearly drew his wand again, but Maddox clucked his tongue and wagged his finger in the same manner that a parent might use when speaking towards a naughty child. "Mr. Malfoy, do you have any idea of just how fast a manticore is?" he asked. "I do. And while we wait, perhaps we can also see just how capable this wand is as a dueling instrument, as well."

Although the expression on Maddox's face was a mocking one, it was plain to see that the boy was completely serious about summoning the manticore if he was not obeyed. So, one by one, the members of the Arcane ScoRA set their wands on the stone, leaving themselves completely defenseless in the process.

"Good," Maddox praised their obedience. "Now, maybe, if we can all behave, we can calmly discuss what needs to be done about all of this."

Glancing over his shoulder, Albus could see Rose and Scorpius' faces contort in resentment at the way Maddox was talking down to them (though Albus also couldn't help but wonder how much of this anger was also directed at himself). Albus also could not help but feel a slight twinge of anger himself at Maddox's tone. Every time the boy had ever spoken to Albus before, it had been almost as though he had seen Albus as a sort of equal, something Albus could have never expected from his own brother or any of his older cousins.

This new attitude made Albus wonder which one was Maddox's true nature and what reason the fourth-year could possibly have to have manipulated Albus for so long…unless he had done it just for his own amusement.

He seemed to be doing that a lot as of late, Albus thought, judging by the way he was snickering at the now defenseless first-years in front of him.

"You all seem to be such curious little kitties here, and I bet you are all _dying_ to have a story told to you."

There was something very wrong about Maddox saying the word 'dying' at this particular moment in time. No one said so, of course, but Rose's tone did seem to convey a certain tone of…agitation.

"JUST WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH ALL OF THIS?" she shrieked at a decibel that made stones shake within the cave. "Do you think our parents won't miss us? Do you think you can just keep hiding out in your little forest clubhouse forever? Do you think the best investigative minds in Britain won't _eventually_ find something that will tie our deaths to—"

"Hold on, Miss Weasley, hold on," Maddox said, holding up his hands. "Let's not get carried away. There's no reason to believe that everyone in this cave won't be able to leave with all their limbs intact…provided we can all come to a certain understanding."

Scorpius spoke up. "What makes you think that if you _do_ let us go, we won't just go and tell everyone what we've seen?" Albus cringed, thinking that now was not probably the best time to be giving Maddox ideas.

"Oh, I have a feeling that the constant fear of waking up to see a creature much more fearsome than a manticore staring you down in your bed could prove to be very persuasive." Maddox said this with a tone of laughter in his voice. "The truth is, the last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt here tonight."

At this, Albus was confused. In the back of his mind, he knew this had to be some sort of trick. Every instinct in him told him this was a trick. This was _not_ how the stories were supposed to go!

Rose rolled her eyes. "Some great villain this idiot turned out to be!" she griped. "He doesn't even have it in him to _know_ he needs to finish us off. What a wonderfully anticlimactic end to this story!"

Albus became tense as he turned back to face the older boy. But instead of appearing insulted by Rose's words, Maddox looked as though he were amused.

"You know, you have some smart friends there, Little Potter," Maddox remarked, pointing the bone wand at Scorpius and Rose. "It would have probably done you a world of good if you had listened to what they said."

Maddox elaborated further, twirling the wand in his hand. "Miss Weasley is right in that this doesn't have to be some sort of showdown between good and evil, where someone has to die for the sake of it. There is no 'bad guy' here, and if we can all just play by a few certain rules, there is no reason all of us can't go back to the castle with nothing more than the memory of a very bad evening."

Scorpius and Rose were both listening intently, but Albus found himself stuttering like a simpleton. "But…uh…."

Maddox sighed, putting his fingers to his temple as he attempted, once, again to state his point. "Albus, there is something you should learn from this night, about the aspects of good and evil," he said in a silky voice. "You won't know it for very long, but I'm going to tell you anyway."

He made his way closer to the three first-years. "In all those stories I bet your parents always tell you about the war back in the day, I'll bet it is always the same. There is probably a very stark comparison between the two sides. The 'bad side' is pure evil, without a doubt. There can be no redeeming, or even neutral quality found among them. They are just bad, bad, bad!"

Maddox tilted his head. "Then, there is the side of good. Pure and righteous, just like in the stories of old. But there are several reasons why this logic doesn't work in this particular situation, and it is also the main reason why your little…_club_ serves very little purpose in all of this."

"Let's start by looking at your Slytherin friend here. Maddox moved on to circle Scorpius. "Death Eater father, Death Eater grandfather, pureblood tendencies and all its sentiments going back for generations. And he's in Slytherin too, just like every member of his family before him. Little Malfoy here has everything going for him to make him a Dark wizard."

Maddox stepped backwards and continued. "Yet only _one_ of us has committed the actions necessary for one to be considered such. Tell me, Little Potter, who is the dangerous one in this cavern?"

Albus gulped. "You?"

"Correct!" the older boy exclaimed. "You see, Albus, you're seeing everything as though you're living in one of your dad's bedtime stories from his childhood. There is no ultimate showdown between good and evil here, no light verses dark. It's just four kids and a wand; nothing more."

"And a monster!" Rose brought up once again.

Maddox chucked in a way that seemed completely inappropriate for this particular moment in time. "Well, that still remains to be seen," he told her. "But I suppose I can't expect any of you to cooperate unless I give you at least something of what you came for. You're all going to want a story, I trust."

Maddox began pacing slowly as he relayed the tale. "The complete truth is that this wand just fell into my lap," he confessed. "Over the summer holidays, my family went to Ireland over the summer holidays. You see, my mother works in the Ministry Office of Invaluable Wizarding Artifacts. We didn't go out there searching for the Wand of MacArt, mind you. It was actually some rather dull office affairs that apparently no one but my mother could properly handle. It was actually quite dull to begin with.

"One of my only sources of amusement was to wander the countryside and the surrounding forest near where we were staying." The corners of Maddox's mouth turned up into a smile. "Finding the wand was rather unspectacular. I was climbing along a wall of crumbling stones, and when I looked down, I could see something white sticking out from all the dark. When I climbed down, I pulled at it, and found this little wand in my grasp."

He held the wand up so that Albus and his friends could have a better look. "And from the moment I held it, I could tell this wand was different. That it was special. Of course, I wasn't about to risk expulsion from Hogwarts by having anyone find out this wand existed. So, in the meantime, I supplemented my interest by browsing the Irish archives hoping I might come across something useful. I _did_, and you three must already know what that was."

"So when you came to Hogwarts, you decided to see if you really had the real thing?" Scorpius ventured to guess. "With the Chizpurfles that took over the Potions classroom?"

"Oh, well that was a simple test to see what the wand could do," Maddox said, laughing. "I always wondered what it would take for Professor Vhartan to cancel class, and now I know for the future. That fact that your cousin and his Potions partner got a free afternoon out of it was just a happy coincidence."

"I don't think everything that came after that could possibly be called _happy_!" Rose said curtly. "Nearly being eaten alive, and then a swarm of Doxies going after the student body!"

Maddox was still laughing. "Well, the Erkling was something of a joke, I suppose. The teachers are always going on and on about how no students are to be out in the corridors after bedtime, but I can't think of one person who has never done it before. But, if there was a child-eating monster wandering the halls at night, and everyone knew it, that would solve the problem quick-smart, don't you think?"

"And the Doxies? I remember hearing how you were banned from playing that game. If you can't play, nobody could. Don't you think that was a bit petty?"

"Petty?" the older boy gaped. "Surely you must know by now that the swarm of Doxies was just a very miniscule example of what this wand is capable of. Besides, it turned out in the end. Gryffindor won, even though I was nowhere near the field, and Jocelyn Dale did look hilarious with those giant purple welts all over her face. She had to walk the corridors with them for a week!"

At this point, Scorpius was looking positively furious. Jocelyn Dale might have sat like poisoned licorice in the mouths of everyone else in the school, but she was still Scorpius' cousin, and Albus knew that they cared for one another a great deal.

"What about the Quintaped?" Rose asked, distracting Albus attention. "Where was the fun and games in that?"

"Ah, now _that_ was a creature that was meant to do you in," Maddox replied. "It was actually right after Albus told me about your little club, and invited me to join. Of, course, I couldn't very well join an organization devoted to stopping _myself_, so, Albus, now you have a better idea of why I said no to you."

Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "So you intended to have us killed that night, so that we couldn't find out it was you who was responsible for everything?"

"I wouldn't say there was _intent_," Maddox old them, twirling the wand as though it were a toy. "More that once I had the creature in the castle, I would wait until Little Potter was stupid enough to go out monster-hunting—" Albus received two identical glares from Rose and Scorpius. "—then I would look the other way and let whatever happened happen."

"But what if someone other than us had come across the Quintaped?" Albus had to ask.

Maddox shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Whatever happened would have happened."

It was this cold comment that caused Rose's face to start turning that famous shade of Weasley red associated with anger, but her words seemed to keep getting caught in her throat. A problem that Scorpius, on the other hand, did not seem to share.

"How could you say something like that?" Scorpius exclaimed, disgusted. "You talk down to me about my Death Eater family, but with all that you've done with that wand, you're just as bad as they are. In fact, you're worse! At least they believed what they were doing had a purpose. You've just been doing what you have been doing for no other reason that you could!"

Scorpius' reasoning seemed to annoy Maddox, but, for some reason, the fourth-year decided not to further attack the blond boy's family. "Don't tell me it is that difficult to understand having a tool of great magic and wanting to use it. Like Little Potter's brother and his precious _Marauder's Map_. That is, until it _mysteriously_ went missing."

Albus watched Scorpius' eyes widen ever-so-slightly and his hand drift down to his right trouser pocket, as though feeling suddenly very protective of its contents.

"From the first day that boy brought that thing to Hogwarts, he was obsessed with using it to carry out as much mayhem and chaos as he possibly could: from pilfering food from the kitchens to midnight 'decorating' in Professor Hardarse's office." Maddox's eyes became shifty as his gaze settled on Rose's book bag. "And, of course, he talked constantly about his father's famous Invisibility Cloak, the one that Harry Potter had to hide away, lest it fall into the hands of his first-born. But you can believe that everyone in Gryffindor has heard about Mr. Potter's boyhood tales of mischief and adventure through the use of _that_ particular device."

When Albus turned around, he finally saw what it was that was attracting the older boy's attention. Poking out from under the flap of Rose's book bag was a slip of silvery material: the hem of the Invisibility Cloak! As soon as Rose noticed this, she shifted the bag to hide it behind her back, doing her best to appear strong and defiant as she did so.

"But I don't suppose there is anymore to know than that," Maddox said. "Like I told all of you, I think it would do for just all of us go back to the castle and all stay very, very quiet about everything that has happened tonight."

Whatever Albus' own opinions might have been on the matter, he imagined he would have very little say in what he and his friends did for the rest of the night. When he turned to face Scorpius again, he could see the expression of raw anger at Maddox's words towards his cousin was still clearly painted on his face.

"We're not going _anywhere_!" he growled. In a way, it was almost funny, like a lapdog thinking it could take on a Gringotts dragon. If it were happening to someone else, it probably would have been a lot funnier, though.

With Maddox, however, it seemed to work. His expression appeared troubled, and even upset, as though he had no idea what he would do if he was disobeyed by the children in front of him. Of all the answers he had expected to get, the one that Scorpius had given him had clearly not been one of them.

"Mr. Malfoy, I really don't think you understand just how serious the situation is here," Maddox said to the boy, failing to keep his voice level.

"What about you?" Rose spoke up. "You're still a kid too, and _you're_ the one who is actually summoning these creatures. You can honestly expect us to believe a mere three years makes it all perfectly alright as far as everything's concerned?"

"Have I ever mentioned how very much I dislike you, Miss Weasley?"

The older boy was clearly doing his best to appear menacing and domineering, but it wasn't working in the least. It was clear that Maddox was nervous. He did not _want_ to kill Albus and his friends; even Albus could see that. And there was only one of Maddox and three of them. If they were able to put together an effective attack strategy, they might just be able to take him down themselves and be able to leave the forest without even having to see the monster.

But Albus was never given a chance to test this theory. Almost immediately after he had come up with it, he could feel warm bursts of hair pushing down his back and a low sort of rumble that that seemed almost surreal. All at the same time, the three members of the Arcane ScoRA turned around to meet their fate with as much dignity as they could muster while each being on the verge of wetting themselves.

The creature before them was so much more massive than the pictures in Rose's book might have led them to believe. In fact, to see the creature in real life, a person might not believe this creature and the one depicted in the book were the same animal. It was about as long as a house, and Albus was beginning to believe that if he, Rose, and Scorpius stood on each others' shoulders, they still wouldn't be as tall as this creature. Its face held remarkably human features, and its mouth held disturbingly sharp teeth, while beyond the mane, its feline body bulged with bulky muscles. But what seemed to be drawing most of Albus' attention was the tall, erect scorpion tail on the creature's rear-end, the curved stinger easily as long as a human arm.

"Uh oh," Maddox remarked without any sincere distress. "It looks like your time is up." The boy attempted to appear straight and stoic as he made his way backwards. "Maybe this could have proved to be a valuable lesson for all of you…if there were any chance of you living through this, that is."

As bold and graceful as Maddox tried to make his exit, it was plain to be seen that he was running away; maybe not from the beast itself, but from having to watch what the beast was about to do to the three bite-sized children in front of it. This was something that Rose was able to see through without any effort.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the great and noble House of Gryffindor, where dwell the brave of—"

"Rose!" Scorpius hissed through his teeth, his stance becoming rigid. "Perhaps it isn't the best idea to be _shouting_ at this particular point in time."

But in spite of the warning, Rose was not ready to stop ranting. She just continued to do so at a much lower volume.

"Alright, Albus, just how difficult is it to understand that a _secret_ organization needs to be kept a _secret_? Scorpius and I both seemed to manage to understand this. As far as I know, neither of _us_ have gone to our upperclassmen, running our mouths about the Arcane ScoRA. Honestly, Albus, do you need me to hold your hand? I would have thought…."

After a while, though, her voice seemed to fade into the background as the three first-years began paying more attention to the manticore in front of them. A soft crooning sound was beginning to slip through its lips and it began shifting from one foot to the other, almost as though running in place.

"Why isn't that thing eating us yet?" Scorpius finally had to ask.

"It's staring us down," Rose replied, taking a brief break from berating her cousin. "It's common predator behavior once it's been spotted by its prey."

Scorpius nodded slowly, though he did break eye contact with the monster. "So what are we supposed to do, then?"

Then, as though the monster understood English it finally began making its way towards the children, showing off those impressive teeth of its.

"Scatter!" Rose shrieked at the top of her lungs.

As the members of the Arcane ScoRA bolted off in three different directions, only one thought was present in Albus' mind, even amidst the screaming split evenly between them. _I could have thought of that!_

From behind him, Albus could hear the sound of long claws scraping against stone, and the pounding of children's shoes racing in every which way, though he didn't dare look. It almost embarrassed him to admit this to himself, though.

But Albus quickly learned the dangers of thinking to oneself while moving at top speeds as he found himself falling over a short ledge in the cavern and landing rather painfully on his backside. A quick glance around his new surroundings, however, offered him a bit of relief, as there was no manticore in his immediate vicinity. From above the ledge, on the other hand, a great deal of panic and general chaos could be heard quite well. With every new terrifying sound introduced, though, Albus found himself pushing himself further and further back against the stone ledge.

With his eyes barely peeking up over the edge, Albus looked out, only to be struck with horror with what he saw. There was Rose, trapped beneath the creature's paw, its claws mere inches from piercing her flesh. Its tail was held high, the stinger dripping venom.

"Rose!" Scorpius shouted, while Rose whimpered beneath the monster's grasp in a helpless manner that seemed completely wrong on the girl.

Albus wanted to climb up over the ledge and help his friends. Fear wasn't even something that factored into the decision. The choice, however, was soon taken out of his hands as a rush of sliding rocks threatening to crush his puny head came sliding his way. Pushing back as far against the wall as he could and hugging his knees against his chest, Albus was able to avoid certain crushing death, though a few smaller bits of rock did fall against the very tips of his toes.

But up above him, he could still hear the sounds of his friends struggling against the beast, the scraping of claws and paws against the surface of the cave, and a mirage of desperate spell casting. And, of course, there was the sound of still more stones falling of the ledge, leaving Albus trapped.

"Scorpius!" he heard Rose shout, her voice cracking with terror.

Over the sound of all the rocks crashing down around him, Albus could hear the sounds of conflict echoing between his friends and the beast above him. When he was finally sure he was no longer being pelted with stones, he looked up over the ledge once again. The manticore was still very much where Albus had last seen it, though it seemed that Rose had managed to get free, her head of bright red hair poking out from a small crack between the cave wall and a large boulder.

But Scorpius was nowhere in sight. Albus' eye raced from side to side as he scanned over the scene in front of him. There was no fresh blood, no new bones, and no blond corpses, but Albus found himself wondering if a manticore was capable of devouring a human child in one bite. Scorpius really wasn't all that big, after all….

Then came a very loud interruption. "_Impedimenta_!"

The voice shouting the hex resounded through the cave as profoundly as the spell itself, probably because it was a voice that Albus had never known to shout under any sort of circumstance. From behind the ledge, Albus peeked up to see a determined woman with straggly blond hair and a bulging belly beneath her bright blue robes.

Albus had to rub his eyes in order to believe what they were telling him. It was Luna Scamander; wand held high, her expression holding a fierceness that Albus would have never believed the woman was capable of. Her wand continued to swish from left to right as she uttered a combination of both verbal and non-verbal spells accompanied by bright lights directed at the manticore before her.

And probably what was most surprising was that Luna actually seemed to be overpowering the monstrous beast from the way it seemed frozen where it stood, beginning to cringe.

Of course, Albus had known that Luna could duel and defend herself with the best of them. She had her place within his father's war stories, right alongside Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and Professor Longbottom, but it was one thing to _hear_ that Loony was a highly capable fighter, and quite another to see it for oneself.

Coming out of the shadows and flanking Luna on either side were the figures of two much taller wizards. A flicker of light gleamed off the spectacles of the man at her right, and Albus recognized the man in an instant: it was his father.

"Ron! Watch Luna's right flank; it's where she's most vulnerable!"

And, were it not for that, the burst of light that illuminated the second wizard's bright red hair would have signaled the presence of Albus' uncle, Ron, without a word being said.

While Uncle Ron seem to be primarily serving as Luna's guard, Albus could see that his own father was attempting to push his way forward, past the manticore, and presumably towards the one who was directing its movements. When Albus looked to his right, he could see Maddox flailing the bone wand wildly as desperation began to take its hold

"No, no, NO!" Albus could hear Maddox shouting up into the upper cavern. "Don't go on the defensive! You don't even have to kill them! Just show some teeth and claws, flash the stinger, and you can drive them back out of the cave!"

When Albus looked to his side, he could see Maddox was also crouched down behind the ledge of the cave, waving the Wand of MacArt and shouting orders. Maddox wasn't yelling terribly loudly, though Albus assumed it was out of an effort not to have the adult wizards have their attention directed his way, in the direction of the person actually controlling the beast.

Then, Maddox said at more of a whisper, so much so that Albus was sure there no way the creature could have heard him. "And then you can finish up that supper of yours!"

As much as the boy attempted to appear domineering, crouching behind the ledge the way he was, his head barely poking up over the edge, it was obvious to be seen that he was hardly any sort of powerful Dark wizard bent on destroying anything that stood in his way, no matter how many times he said so. He was just a kid in over his head with powers that he barely understood, really making him no different from the members of the Arcane ScoRA.

Suddenly, though, Maddox did see Albus' dad approaching and he ducked down low, his face turning pale. From his crouched position, he raised the Wand of MacArt and pointed it at Albus' father. No spell seemed to come from the tip of the wand, but almost instantaneously, the manticore turned its head and rested its gaze on the dark-haired Auror creeping behind it.

But, even from its position against the ground, its head was still turned and locked on Albus' dad, who had momentarily abandoned his own explorations to aid in subduing the beast.

The older Gryffindor kept his eyes on the beast, the wand tightly grasped in his hand. It was then that Albus realized that Maddox Dugan was not only willing to kill the members of the Arcane ScoRA to keep his secret, but he had also shown he would have been more than willing to kill Albus' own father along with them.

It was at that moment that Albus felt something profound inside him rip. Maybe it was a culmination of finding out Maddox was the one behind everything that Hogwarts' students had been going through, the fact that the older boy seemed to be so indifferent as to whether Albus and his friends lived or died, or the idea that he was now completely intent on killing Albus' father, along with everyone else, but before Albus knew what he was doing, he found himself with his knees on Maddox's chest, the older boy tackled to the ground, an expression of dazed pain and confusion on the boy's face as Albus alternated between punching Maddox in the face and stomach, and throwing the boy's arms back against the ground whenever Maddox _did_ try to fight back.

"Little Potter! Just what—" Maddox managed to get out before Albus managed to land a rather respectable punch to the boy's nose. Blood came pouring out like a faucet as Maddox reached up, groaning, with his left hand to cover it.

"Albus!" he heard Rose shout at him through all of it. "What are you waiting for? Get the wand away from him! You might not get another chance!"

When Albus looked down to Maddox's wand hand, he could see the Wand of MacArt still firmly grasped in the boy's fingers. Somehow, through all that punishment, he had still managed to hold onto it.

"Get it!" she screamed again, though Albus still could not see his cousin.

Needing no further prompting, Albus grabbed at the wand, but even through all the pain Maddox must have been feeling, his fingers still held tight to the wand. Suddenly recalling a certain _persuasive_ technique he had learned from Luna's twins, Lorcan and Lysander, Albus grabbed the boy's wrist and bit down hard against the tender skin. After a very loud yelp, Maddox's fingers spread open and the Wand of MacArt found itself in Albus Potter's possession.

While Maddox was still moaning in pain, Albus took the time to look over than wand that had caused him and his friends so much grief. It was odd; aside from the strange material the wand was made from, Albus had a difficult time seeing what made this wand so different from any other. There was no profound warmth or energy emanating from the tool like Albus had been expecting, and he certainly wasn't overcome with the desire to enslave magical creatures to do his bidding. Then, he recalled what he had been told when he had gotten his own wand at Ollivander's; how it was the wand that chose its master. Maybe, in some twisted sort of way, the Wand of MacArt had _chosen_ Maddox Dugan to carry out the chaos the Gryffindor had visited on Hogwarts.

Albus wasn't allowed very much time to contemplate this, however, as he felt the flourish of a cloak over his head and a pulling at the back of his robes, and Albus soon found himself being dragged backwards across the stone floor on his bum. Before it even occurred to him to wonder who was grabbing at him, a hand clasped tightly over his mouth and several strands of long red hair dangled in front of his face. It was Rose, of course.

It didn't take very long for Albus to see why his cousin had seen so fit to be in such a hurry. Coming over the ledge they had been using for hiding were Albus' father and Uncle Ron. Luna was absent from the party, presumably because, with her still-growing belly, she did not have the balance necessary to make the climb.

"Maddox Dugan." Albus watched his father crouch down beside the boy sprawled out on the ground. "Maddox Dugan, is that you, my boy?"

It had never before occurred to Albus that his father might already know Maddox, even though he was apparently good friends with James, and in good standing with all the other Gryffindors. But in his current state of mind, he had trouble figuring out just how it could possibly be.

From beneath the cloak, Albus and Rose watched as their fathers waved their wands over the boy's form, and eventually help Maddox to his feet, the fourth-year looking to be in much better shape than Albus had left him in.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Dugan?" Uncle Ron asked has he helped steady the boy's stance. "I can't imagine Hogwarts has relaxed its curfew enough that it is acceptable for you to be out here at this time of night."

Uncle Ron chuckled at his own words, but Albus' father was slightly more serious. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out here? I suppose I don't need to tell you what Mr. Weasley and I just finished fighting."

Maddox just shook his head and grumbled as he made an effort to speak. "N-no, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you for helping me, sir."

_No, Dad, no!_ Albus thought to himself as he watched his father continue to help the boy walk. _Don't believe him, Dad! Don't let him get away! You didn't become head of the Auror Office by being so gullible!_

Then, as though able to read her cousin's thoughts, Rose shook Albus' shoulder violently. "Albus! What are you still doing holding that thing?"

Albus looked down to his hand to see the Wand of MacArt still firmly in his grasp. He had nearly forgotten it was there.

"Get rid of it!" Rose ordered as best she could, keeping her voice low so as not to be heard from the commotion off to the side.

"How?" Albus asked on reflex.

Rose rolled her eyes. "They can't see us. Just set it on the ground, we'll walk away, and then they'll see it."

Albus was completely terrified that his father somehow knew they were there, but he still allowed his cousin the drag him as she tried to shuffle as quietly as she possibly could.

"Mr. Dugan, what is this?"

Maddox's eyes went wide as he appeared to do his best to appear confused and sincere. But as Albus found himself led up over the edge, he could better see the look on his father's face. It was an expression of stone and soberness; one that looked as though it would not tolerate any falsehood that might have been spinning around inside the boys head. Albus breathed a deep sigh, feeling confident that all of this was finally over.

"Mr. Dugan, I think we both know that there is no answer you can give, truthful or otherwise, that could…."

As Albus and Rose moved backwards, the voice of Albus' father began to fade. By the time they were back out in the fresh night air, the familiar sound was completely gone. When Rose removed the cloak from their heads and stuffed it back into her book bag she grabbed Albus by the crook of his arm and proceeded leading him further away.

"Walking, Albus," Rose said to him once he began lagging. "Walking, walking, just keep walking before our dads see us."

"B-but…," Albus muttered as he consented to being led further into the forest, "are we forgetting something? What happened to—"

But Albus was never given the opportunity to finish his sentence as a rush of air and a very solid being appeared directly in front of them. It was Scorpius: alive and quite well, aside from a few minor-looking scraps. And, as he began folding the Invisibility Cloak under his arm, a smile was spreading wider and wider across his face, and he began snickering under his breath.

Albus' eyes went round as Sickles. "You're alright!"

"Of course he's alright, Albus," Rose said to him. "What? Did you think he was eaten?"

"People, I think we have a more immediate problem right now," Scorpius brought up. "If Maddox is going down for this, he is probably going to at least try to take us down with him. Right now, he is probably telling your fathers all about how we were down in the cave with him. If he has half a brain, he might even try to pin the whole thing on us."

Rose placed her index finger against her chin as she looked Scorpius in the eye. "Well, we couldn't possibly have had anything to do with all of this if we have been fast asleep in our beds all we have to do is come up with a somewhat-acceptable alibi."

Standing between the two of them, Albus couldn't help but feel as though the two of them knew something he didn't. But before he could ask what this could possibly be, Scorpius answered the question for him.

"Race to the castle!" Scorpius remarked in a tone that seemed much too excited for Albus' comfort.

The other two children seemed very excited, but Albus still felt left out of the loop, not knowing quite how this was all going to work. "Just how are we supposed to do that?"

It was with that that Scorpius reached in to Rose's book bag and extracted a broom: the same broom they had been trying to hide in the Potions classroom when they encountered the Quintaped. Albus was so distracted by yet another problem that was presenting itself, he didn't even think to ponder how the broom had managed to fit into a small bag. "But we can't carry three people on one broom."

Now Albus _did_ take the time to ponder the physics of how _two_ brooms could fit into one book bag.

"It was just laying there under a pile of…magazines." Rose said the last word with something of a shudder. "And, where Maddox is going, he most certainly won't be using it."

Albus was dumbfounded, even after everything that had happened that night. "Since when do you fly?"

Rose smiled broadly. "As soon as the Ravenclaw Quidditch team found out they officially had a Weasley among their ranks, they made it a House project to see that Rose Weasley would be made a superb flyer by the time she was old enough to try out for the team."

With a pull at his hood and a stumble over the broom handle, the three members of the Arcane ScoRA were soaring through the night sky, racing against a clock that may not have even existed. All the same, those three children raced towards Hogwarts castle as though their very lives depended on it.

Miniscule fragments in the wind smacked against Albus' face as Rose flew faster and faster through the dense, dark air, gaining on Scorpius' tail. The two of them were even laughing as they raced, as though this last leg of the journey were just the end of some magnificent game. Albus himself did not join in, but he did allow himself to feel some amount of joy. Bringing himself to the level as Rose and Scorpius were, however, seemed to work, not with just having come so close to meeting his maker and not with seeing one of his housemates one the other side of the full wrath of the Ministry, whatever that might turn out to be.

The two brooms flew low against the water, their shoes skimming against the surface of the Black Lake. Then, almost as though deciding to do so on a whim, Scorpius' broom pierced the surface of the water, and he did not come back up. Albus began to worry as to whether Scorpius planned on getting to the Slytherin dormitories or if he had crashed and was now drowning, but Rose didn't look as though she would be willing to stop and make sure. Her eyes were completely focused on the target in front of her, a set of duel towers reaching up in between low and wispy clouds.

Before Albus could even attempt to properly prepare himself, he found himself being tossed through the window through sheer velocity, completing a perfect summersault once he hit the ground, and coming to an upright, seated position right at the edge of the dormitory rug. And Albus did not even have enough time to look over his shoulder before Rose disappeared to race for Ravenclaw Tower.

_She'll probably see well enough to give **herself** a softer landing!_ he thought to himself as he hobbled his way to his bed, nursing a sore bum. The soft bed and warm covers did wonders for Albus' aching body, more so than any potion could have ever done; nor could any potion have done as well at quieting his mind. And even though he had no idea just what was going to be done with Maddox Dugan, Albus could feel his blood pressure drop significantly just from knowing it was no longer something that _he_ needed to worry about.

Just when he had settled himself into bed, the door to the dormitory swung wide opon, the flash of light stopping Albus' beating heart.


	18. Chapter 18 The Fall From Grace

Chapter 18  
The Fall from Grace

"Albus." He could hear one more familiar voice call out to him. "Mr. Potter, are you awake?"

Albus turned to his side. "Professor Longbottom?" He pretended to yawn. "What time is it?"

Once his eyes came into focus, he could clearly see the face of his godfather (and Head of House). As he gained a better view, he could see several forms standing in the entry way, though he still couldn't quite make out their faces.

"It's very early, Mr. Potter," Professor Longbottom said, regaining the focus of Albus' attention.

"Is something wrong?" Albus asked, though he was almost afraid to hear the answer.

But Professor Longbottom just shook his head. "No. Nothing's wrong, Albus," his godfather assured him. "Go back to sleep."

Albus made a noncommittal sound and turned over onto his side so that he was facing away from his teacher. He kept perfectly still so Professor Longbottom would think he had just gone back to sleep, but the truth was that Albus had probably never been more vigilant in his life. His eyes were squeezed shut, but he probably would have been able to hear if the house-elves were playing tag down in the kitchens.

Professor Longbottom's voice was the first one that he heard. "Well, Professor Dugan, I think it pretty clear that Mr. Potter hasn't left his room tonight."

"I found Rose Weasley still in bed too," he then heard Professor Patil say. "It took nearly ten minutes to convince her it wasn't time to go to class."

"And how many Galleons do you want to bet that if we go down to the Slytherin chambers, we will find Mr. Malfoy in the same condition?"

That was Professor Vhartan, and the wheels in Albus' head began turning It would have been foolish to think pride would have stopped Maddox from trying to save himself by sharing the blame with the three first-years who had been in the cave, after all. Desperation could lead people to do all sorts of things, Albus had heard his father say on numerous occasions.

And, from the gathering outside the dormitory, it was clear that Maddox really had tried to convince the teacher that they had all been there. Although, from the sounds of things, it hadn't worked very well.

"Professor Dugan," Neville said, trying to keep is voice level, "which do you think is the most likely scenario: that a fully-grown manticore was taken down by three first-year students, or that your fourth-year son, enabled with an extremely powerful tool of magic, simply got caught and is trying to pass the blame on to someone else?"

Professor Dugan was there too? Albus hadn't heard a word spoken yet by his Transfiguration teacher. What was it that could be holding the man's tongue so effectively? Despite the curiosity building inside of him, Albus continued to remain perfectly still, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter.

"Professor Dugan," Professor Patil spoke in a voice heavy with emotion, "I'm sorry, but you _know_ that we are going to have to call the authorities here."

_Authorities_. Albus gulped as quietly as he could. That would mean the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would be getting involved, and maybe even the Auror office as well. Even if what Maddox said was true, and that the wand in and of itself wasn't a _Dark_ tool, it was what Maddox had chosen to do with it that would certainly bring down the full force of the Ministry of Magic on the boy's head.

It was then that Albus heard the door shut softly. Professor Longbottom had not even bothered to say good-bye to him, although this was something Albus considered he should probably be grateful for. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, the mentally and physically exhausted first-year shut his eyes and tried to sleep. But even with his eyes closed, he could still feel just how long of a night it had been in his bones, as the light of the rising sun shone its way through Albus' closed eyelids.

* * *

Giving up on sleep, Albus pushed back his covers and walked towards the dormitory door. He had changed into his pajamas, thrown his filthy school robes under his bed, and returned back to his bed, all without waking up any of his dorm mates. But none of it was doing anything to help him sleep. And, he had decided, if all he was going to do was stare up at the ceiling, he might as well put the early hour to some use and finish his Potions homework. Their final was coming up and, as Scorpius kept lovingly reminding him, he needed _serious_ practice on practicing correct proportions.

The stone floor was extraordinarily cold without socks or slippers, but this still did nothing to persuade Albus to return to his bed. Once he finally got to the common room, however, he discovered he wasn't alone. Sitting in front of the smoldering fire, was a slumped figure with messy black hair staring intently into the flames. When he moved to rub his eyes, he removed a pair of round glass frames that Albus would recognize anywhere.

"Dad!" he shouted, letting his books and papers drop to the floor.

Albus' father was slow to look up; he met his son with weary eyes. "Albus," he remarked in a slow and tired tone. "It's very, very early."

Albus didn't respond to the statement. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Albus' exhausted father ran his fingers through his hair and then looked back up at his son. "Albus, why don't you have a seat? There's something I need to talk to you about."

As for as anxious as Albus' father appeared to be about what he was about to tell him, Albus knew it wasn't necessary. At this point in time, he probably already knew every word of the talk his dad had probably spent hours rehearsing. All the same, Albus walked over to the couch and took a seat beside his father, doing his very best to look as though he had no idea what was going on.

But then came a very loud interruption. "Oh, my Godric! Dad!"

Both Albus and his father looked up to see James standing the entrance of the staircase, his hair a mess, his eyes wide. "Monty told me you were down here, but I didn't believe him," James exclaimed loudly as he strode across the common room floor. "What are you doing here?"

"Work," their father answered simply. "Why don't you have a seat? We need to talk."

But instead of instantly obeying his father, James' eyes went even wider and a panicked look took over his expression. "I have no idea what you've heard, but I know my rights! If they don't have any physical evidence or an eyewitness, there is nothing holding it up. And don't think I won't call them on the definition of hearsay, because I know what that means now!"

Albus looked up at his father, who did not react to the outburst. He knew his eldest son so well, that he had probably known how James was going to react before he had even finished the sentence. "James, you're not in trouble and neither is your brother. But I really do have something very important I need discuss with the both of you."

Somewhat warily, James made his to the couch and took a seat beside their father on the opposite side of Albus. Any other time, James would have tried to make a joke of sitting on top of Albus and pretending he didn't know he was there, but he must have sensed the seriousness in his father's voice as he took his seat on the squishy sofa with any sort of joke or comment.

"You never told me," James brought up again. "What are you doing here? Is it Ministry business again?"

Their father nodded solemnly, his lips pursed. "Your uncle Ron is here too," his dad told him. "Professor Patil took him to the Ravenclaw Common room so he could talk to Rose."

It was at that point that James just seemed to understand the seriousness of what his father was about to tell them. "Okay, Dad, this is starting to get scary. Just _what_ is going on?"

Albus watched his father take a deep breath and place his palms on top of his knees. "This morning, your uncle and I arrested Maddox Dugan."

Albus was worried his dad might see through his lack of shock, but luckily, James' reaction was dramatic enough for the both of them. "You have to be kidding! Maddox Dugan? The same Maddox Dugan _I_ know? What could he have possibly done so wrong that he had to be arrested…?"

_Before me and Fred,_ was probably what the true end to the sentence had been, but now that the Ministry apparently was arresting Hogwarts students, James had probably thought it best not to give his father any ideas.

"Get comfortable," he told his sons. "This is going to be a very _long_ explanation."

It was with that that Albus' father began telling the long-winded story that Albus and his friends had been living these past few months, minus a few certain details that Albus wasn't about to let his father in on: from the swarm of Chizpurfles to the manticore skulking through the Forbidden Forests, and every possible instance in which Hogwarts students could have been killed and hadn't even known it. By the end of the speech, all the color had completely drained from James' face and his eyes were almost as wide as Luna's on an average day. "Are you sure it was him?" he finally managed to ask.

"He was caught in the act," his father said, turning to face his elder son. "The wand was in his possession and the manticore in the cave was following the bidding of the wand. A charm shows connections to several instances of magical creatures, actually more than even the Ministry was aware of."

Albus chewed on his bottom lip, hoping that his father wouldn't notice his twittering fingers and shuffling feet.

"As soon as the wand was removed from Maddox's control, the manticore appeared to be quite disoriented, as though it had no idea how it had gotten where it was. Luna said that that is typical of creatures that have been recently freed from mind control."

James then took a turn to speak. "What will happen to the manticore?" Though Albus couldn't imagine what could bring his brother to think about _that_ with all the other things he could have asked.

"Luna is helping to work between the British and the Greek Departments for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to try and get the creature back to its native habitat. The Greek government has a great deal of experience in working with manticores." Albus watched his father stair into the fire rather absent mindedly. "Luna was completely against destroying the creature. She said, 'It's not fair to punish the creature for something that isn't even its fault.' So she's very hopeful that once it is returned home, the manticore will no longer have any desire to return to Britain."

Albus decided to take it upon himself to ask something he felt might actually prove useful, since James clearly couldn't be trusted to do so.

"What about Maddox?" he managed to squeak. "What's going to happen to him?"

Albus' father let out a deep sigh. "He has a trial before the Wizengamot set for next week. He will have the opportunity to argue his case, and, of course, Uncle Ron and I will be called to testify. But truthfully, it is looking rather grim for your Housemate."

A sudden twinge in Albus' stomach made itself quite present. He couldn't believe it, but he was actually feeling guilty. Maddox Dugan had put the entire school in danger on several occasions, tried to kill Albus and his friends more than once and had let them know it, and he'd even tried to kill Albus' father, uncle, and dear family friend. And now that the boy was going to pay for all his crimes, Albus actually felt sorry for him, almost as though the attacks against him had never happened—as if Maddox was just a pitiful victim…even a friend.

But luckily, Albus' father must have mistaken his son's expression for shock and disbelief at the news of his Housemate. "Now listen, both of you," he said to his sons. "Go upstairs and pack a few things. There's going to be a lot of back draft this arrest, and I don't want either of you around for it. I've gotten permission from the headmaster to let you come home until the worst of it is over. Your cousin, Rose, will be coming home too."

"Will _all_ our cousins be coming home?" James asked, suddenly looking even more horror-struck than he had been at the news of Maddox. "If Dominique has to miss her O.W.L.s after all the studying she's done, I'm not sure I can guarantee your safety."

The father shook his head and made just the bare whisper of a chuckle. "No, it's just you three. I'm sure it won't take very long for word to spread that it was _your_ fathers that arrested Maddox Dugan, after all."

Well, James wasn't about to argue any further at the possibility of skipping school, so he pushed himself up off the couch, and even took it upon himself to drag Albus along with him, as though not willing to wait even the miniscule amount of time it would have taken Albus to stand up on his own. No one, it seemed, came between James and the possibility of getting out of Potion labs and History of Magic essays.

* * *

While Albus and James were brought home, Albus had first believed that they would only be there for a few days at most. But days quickly became a week, and then numerous weeks, and there was less and less evidence that seemed like they were going to return anytime soon, especially from the way their mother seemed to be doing her very best to keep the _Daily Prophet_ from them, one morning going as far as to cast a Combustion Spell while it had been laying on the table when James had reached for it to check Quidditch scores. Her argument being that the current Quidditch season was so horrible that she could not allow her son to see it and still call herself a good mother.

However, James and Albus still found themselves able to get their hands on copies of the _Prophet_ via Mrs. Fleming, the elderly widow who lived next door and longed for any sort of company. So the two brothers would spend the afternoon reading the newspaper on her uncomfortable couch and eating the somehow-dusty biscuits the old woman served them, all the while talking to them about the old days when everything was made of wood and women couldn't fly brooms. Though once they started reading the news stories, they could understand why their parents wanted to keep them from the boys, and even why their father had wanted to remove them from school.

To look at the latest editions of the _Daily Prophet_, one would think that the world did not exist outside of what happening with Maddox Dugan. Everyone who could have possibly played a significant role in the boy's life was being featured in the story, including several Hogwarts students. And the _Prophet_ seemed to take a particular interest in why the children of the arresting Aurors could not be reached for comment.

Just as their father had said, Maddox had his trial in front of the Wizengamot, with every imaginable source of wizarding media waiting outside the door. Just as their father had said, he and Uncle Ron were called in to testify, and also, just as he had said, Maddox was found guilty of a laundry list of crimes. The Wizengamot decided unanimously to send him to Azkaban, making him the youngest inmate in the prison's history. Just as their father had said, after all, the boy didn't have a chance.

Of course, the media had a field day with the verdict. It made all the coverage that happened before seem completely insignificant. Albus was now finally beginning to understand his father's general dislike of newspapers in general and was extremely grateful to be in Godric's Hollow, where very little happened on any given day.

A lot, though, happened while Albus, James, and Rose were away from home: Albus turned twelve, Luna had her baby; a little girl named Astrid Soleil. According to Luna, the baby had been very pleased when the name had been suggested to her. James received about a dozen ranting letters from Tracy Corner, ranting about how Gryffindor's Quidditch team was missing its Keeper, and how there was no way in hell she was going to trust the position to any of the reserve players. And, of course, Lily was a constant presence, bombarding her brothers with every insignificant insider's detail about the story that had been all over the front page of the _Daily Prophet_, which she, on the other hand, was actually allowed to read.

Rose sent no letters, but, to be fair, Albus didn't either. He imagined his cousin was also doing her very best to keep the circling headlines out of her head and that the effort was taking up the majority of her time and effort. Albus certainly knew that was the case as far as he was concerned.

Once Easter was over, however, they received a very official-looking letter directly from the letterhead of Professor Flitwick insisting that if the Potter boys missed even one more day of school, he couldn't promise that they would be able to move on to the next year. By the end of the afternoon, James and Albus found themselves in headmaster's office with their trunks packed and their cousin, Rose, standing right beside them. Professor Flitwick didn't offer the three any profound sort of greeting, but simply rushed them down the staircase, slamming the door shut behind them. James soon wandered off in an aimless sort of way, leaving Rose and Albus standing alone in the corridor, completely unsure of what they should do.

Then came an echoing shout. "Albus! Rose!"

The two heads turned simultaneously to see Scorpius Malfoy racing down from the other end of the hallway, as though he had not seen his friends in an eternity— to be fair, though, this was not entirely untrue.

"Scorpius!" Rose shouted back, though her feet remained firmly planted beside her cousin.

The blond boy stopped just inches short of where Rose was standing. Anyone who had been watching the scene and who had no previous knowledge of three first-years might have believed that Scorpius was about to give Rose a hug. However, Scorpius quickly stepped back and held his hands firmly at his sides in order to dispel _that_ illusion.

"Where have you two been?" Scorpius asked rather franticly. "The whole school's been in a frenzy; Maddox Dugan is all anyone's been talking about."

"We got _that_ from the _Prophet_," Rose answered, striding past the boy, as though she too wanted to avoid any scenes of impropriety. "And since our dad were the ones 'responsible' for it, they thought it best if we stayed out of the limelight for a bit."

"Probably a good idea," Scorpius told her. "The school has been a madhouse. Maddox has been dubbed 'Gryffindor's First Dark Wizard'."

"I'm sure that's just a load of rubbish." Rose replied. "In a thousand years of Hogwarts history, I doubt Maddox is the first Gryffindor to ever turn to the Dark Arts…if the Wand of MacArt can even be considered Dark magic. Maddox was all about that 'intent' nonsense."

While Rose and Scorpius tittered between one another, Albus pondered to himself. All about whether or not either of them had been feeling any sort of guilt over the hand that they had had in Maddox's capture, though from the casual tone they were taking towards the subject, it was starting to seem highly unlikely. Then Albus began wondering if he should share what he was feeling with his friends, even though he felt extraordinarily like a girl simply for thinking of that.

Rose and Scorpius were completely enthralled in their own subject of conversation, so Albus decided to keep these thoughts and feelings to himself for the time being.

* * *

After the media drama of Maddox and his arrest passed, things slowly began to return to normal for Albus, Rose, and Scorpius. Finals ended with a great feeling of relief, but when the class honors list was published, Rose felt slightly nervous due to the fact that neither she nor Scorpius had made the top ten list, meaning that their names were just published in a group along with everyone else whose grades were in the top half of their class. That meant that no one could be sure if Rose had indeed beaten Scorpius on every exam. The older cousins all tried to assure her that her father had only said it as a joke and had probably forgotten all about the comment by now, but that seemed to do very little to take away the nervously sick expression on Rose's face….

…Although the effort it took to greatly hate Fairfax Macmillan, who would not stop bragging about making the number one spot on the honors list _did_ seem to help somewhat.

Classes drew to a close, and the students spent every moment of free time they had packing up their trunks with every spare scrap of paper they had to their name.

With the clock running short, the members of the Arcane ScoRA decided to pay one last visit to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to say good-bye to the ghost-girl who was the unofficial founding member of their organization.

Throughout the entire meeting, Myrtle appeared anxious about the prospect of her new friends leaving for the summer. "You guys will come and visit me again as soon as you come back this autumn, won't you?"

"Of course! Of course!" Rose assured her, holding her hands up in front of her. "We'll even write," she said, although she seemed clearly unsure just how one would go about sending a letter to a ghost, and whether it would be any different from sending a letter to someone else.

While Rose continued to converse and bargain with the transparent girl, Albus and Scorpius leaned against the bathroom wall, Albus sitting on the floor, and Scorpius resting his forehead against the dingy mirror. So far, the both of them had yet to say anything. The two of them seemed much more interested in enjoying the peace of not having to worry about invading beasts or impending attacks; just the facts that they were all friends and that they were all able to be together with no cares or worries…the way Albus' father had said again and again that things were supposed to be. It was what he had wanted for his son, Albus, and all his other children, and his nieces and nephews.

Not that Albus and his group of…friends had been allowed to do so for any extended period of time up until now.

It was then that a very sudden thought came to Albus. "We should write our names somewhere," he said, breaking the silence that the two boys had been keeping.

Myrtle turned to look over her shoulder, and Rose peered through the girl's abdomen. "Albus," Rose said to her cousin, "didn't we already have a talk about the definition of 'secret' society?"

Albus nodded. "Yeah, I know," he relented somewhat, "but after all we've done, it seems wrong for no one to ever know we existed. That what we did should all just fade into nothing."

Scorpius brought up a point. "Well, it's all well and good for us to become some sort of enigma for people to ponder about a hundred years from now, but what if someone finds these names while we're still here at Hogwarts and can turn us all into the headmaster while he still has power over our lives?"

Albus shifted from one foot to another. "Well, we'll put them somewhere no one will think to look. Where would we be able to do that?"

Myrtle, who seemed to be enthralled with the idea, offered up help to make it happen. "Here," she exclaimed, floating over to the stall which she haunted "You can carve them into the lid to the tank. Just make sure you add mine too. I can't do it myself be_cause_…."

While Rose took it upon herself to at least lessen the flood of tears and sobbing that were no doubt coming, Albus and Scorpius began rummaging around in search of something they could carve into metal with.

Scorpius knelt down besides his book bag, which he had brought with him. "All we've got is my Potion's knife," he said, lifting the tool out from one of the pockets of the bag.

"Trust me, that will work perfectly," Myrtle told him through the tears. "The porcelain, the metal, everything in the shall has lost much of its structural integrity of the years due to all the floo-_DIIIIIINNNNG!_"

By this time, Myrtle had burst into a full-fledge crying fit, draping herself over Rose's shoulder. How exactly she was doing it, and where it was the tears were coming from, was something that remained a subject of confusion. Rose continued to do her best to console the _much_ older girl while Albus and Scorpius snuck into the stall, Scorpius pushing the knife into Albus' hands and shoving him forward, indicating it would be _him_ who would go first.

"Oh, look, Myrtle!" Rose tried to get the attention of the sobbing girl-ghost. "The boys are both carving their names. It's our turn now. You want to watch _your_ name get carved into too, don't you? You don't want to try your way through such a monumental event."

Albus wasn't sure that carving their names into the tank of a toilet could really be considered an 'event', let along 'monumental', though it did succeed in slowing the rush of tears. Myrtle wiped her nose—though Albus was not even sure how there could be any snot to wipe—and drifted into the bathroom stall with a relieved Rose following behind her.

Kneeling on the toilet seat, feeling his trousers around the knees growing damp, Albus began carving the initials A.S.P. into the darkening porcelain. He wasn't stupid enough to write his full name, of course! He then handed the knife over to Scorpius, who took his turn at carving S.H.M.

"Rose!" Scorpius called to the girl over the constant sobs. "It's your turn! Myrtle, you too!"

As though the sentence were some sort of magic charm, Myrtle instantly stopped crying, rushing into the stall with a whoosh of air, Rose trailing not far behind her. As Rose carved R.A.W. into the porcelain, she suddenly turned to the ghost girl and said, "Myrtle, we don't know your middle name…or your last name, for that matter."

Myrtle just shrugged her shoulders. "Why not just write 'Moaning Myrtle'? I'm certainly not going to tell anyone about the Arcane ScoRA. What do the teachers have to threaten me with? I have been in the same stall for eighty years, and I'm not about to be driven out now!"

Rose nodded in a sort of nervous agreement as she carved the very long name. When she was finally done, she took a step back, as though admiring some sort of long-conceived artistic masterpiece. After a time, Scorpius and Albus also regarded the toilet tank with the same sort of awed respect. There had been nothing seemingly spectacular about the toilet before now: it had been the same ancient speckled porcelain that could be seen in every Hogwarts bathroom. But now, thinking about how this was the place where they had all first come together, where they all would now be leaving together, and would probably be returning to next year…there was just something beautiful about it.

Next year….

"Everyone!" Myrtle called out over the crowd, trying to get everyone's attention.

Albus was sure that everyone was expecting some sort of long-winded speech, but instead what they heard was, "Have any of you bothered to look at the clock recently?"

Rose glanced down at her watch, and the moment she did, her eyes widened and her expression became horror-struck. "We're going to miss the train!" she shrieked.

Scorpius and Rose nearly knocked Albus to the ground as they rushed to get out of the cramped stall. In fact, Albus was quite certain he had been caught somehow to one of the two of them as he felt himself being dragged across the floor before he finally managed to pull himself to his feet. The three living members of the Arcane ScoRA raced around the bathroom, while Rose and Scopius took turns shouting at each other.

"Do you have everything packed into your trunk?"

"Do you even _know_ where your trunk is?"

"Where were we supposed to leave them so they could be loaded on the train?"

"Were we all supposed to meet in the Great Hall or just go straight to the train station?"

But looking over his shoulder, Albus could see Myrtle floating contently above the bathroom floor, smiling and twirling, looking about as close to 'giddy' as the boy was sure anyone had ever seen the girl, dead or alive.

* * *

Despite the great rush and panic, the three members of the Arcane ScoRA _did_ make it to the train on time, and even found themselves sitting all alone in their train compartment, just like the circumstances under which they had been quite literally 'pushed together'. And ironically, they found themselves in the exact same positions in which they had first spoken to one another: Rose was reading one of her old schoolbooks, Scorpius was staring out the window, and Albus having no idea what to say or do. His other two friends seemed so at ease, but Albus could not bring himself to that state of mind.

"What's going to happen next year?" he finally blurted out.

Rose looked down from her book. "What do you mean?" Scorpius also took his focus off the passing countryside, turning to face Albus.

"I mean, does the Arcane ScoRA still exist and all?" Albus elaborated. "Maddox isn't around anymore, so we really don't have anyone we need to stop or anything."

Rose looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "But we didn't start the Arcane ScoRA just to stop the doings of Maddox Dugan, did we?"

"We started the Arcane ScoRA so Moaning Myrtle wouldn't turn us into the teachers that night when the Erkling was chasing us through the corridors," Scorpius reminded them, hugging his left knee to his chest.

"But the Erkling was still the doing of Maddox Dugan," Albus argued. "Now that he's gone, what does the Arcane ScoRA exist for?"

This was a question that none of the members of the organization had taken the time to consider, as was quite apparent. No one had a ready answer for it.

"But we didn't know Maddox was responsible for it all," Rose brought up the point. "And if we had never found out, we never would have stopped investigating."

But then Scorpius brought up, "If we had never found out that Maddox was responsible, then Maddox also wouldn't be in jail right now."

More silence followed as more miles passed. "So…what then?" Albus reiterated. "Are we going to spend the rest of our school careers fighting against anything that could possibly be a threat to the Hogwarts student body?"

Rose and Scorpius looked to one another, as though they were each waiting for the other to satisfy Albus' curiosity.

"What do we do now?" Albus kept on going. "Do we let them know we're friends, or is that going to just clue them in about the Arcane ScoRA?"

The other two in the compartment continued to stare at one another before Rose finally stared down into her lap, muttering quietly, "I don't know, Albus. We really have just been playing this whole thing by ear, and I suppose we will probably just keep doing what we have been doing. We just keep watching, waiting for things to happen just like they have been doing all of this year, and if nothing happens…I suppose the Arcane ScoRA really won't have any reason to exist."

"Good call!" Scorpius agreed, as though eager to see the conversation come to an end. As though he just wanted his mind to wander as far from the Arcane ScoRA as humanly possible and just go back to being the Scorpius Malfoy he had been before he had boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time.

And Albus decided, for the sake of the boy he now truly considered to be a true friend, he would let the matter drop for the time being. But there was something else he felt was necessary to discuss as he saw the city of London drawing closer and closer.

"What do we do about our parents?"

Rose set down her book for the final time, letting out an exasperated sigh, finally giving on her reading for good. "What are you talking about _now_?"

Albus explained his reasoning further. "Well, if they see us walking off the train together and talking to one another, they'll know we are friends. And…you know the histories that our families have."

Rose and Scorpius began to squirm in their seats, showing that they had not previously considered this scenario. It only made Albus want to discuss the situation further. "So…what are we supposed to do? Do we let them know that we are friends, or do we not in order to keep the Arcane ScoRA a secret?"

"They don't even know that the Arcane ScoRA exists," Scorpius brought up. "What reason do they have to be suspicious?"

"But our parents will wonder how we came to be friends," Rose reminded him as the train began pulling into Kings Cross. "Is that a story any of you really want to tell them…whether it be to keep the Arcane ScoRA a secret or no?"

As the train began to slow, the three soon-to-be second-years leaned back against their seats so that they could not be seen from the window. When the call came for their compartment to leave, they raced to the door as fast as they could to further this goal. As they made their way to the door in silence, Albus supposed they would be doing just what Rose said they had been doing this whole year: playing the situation by ear.

They stepped out of the train together, walked out in-step together, and met eyes with their parents all together….

But then, almost as though on instinct, Scorpius pulled away from Albus and Rose and rushed towards his waiting parents. They stood together stiff, stately, and elegant. The mother knelt down to hug Scorpius and his father put his hand on his shoulder, but other than that, they did nothing to break their previous demure. Albus could see his parents and his aunt and uncle looking in the Malfoys' direction, though Scorpius' parents did not acknowledge them, making their way out of their train station as fast as they possibly could. It all happened so quickly that even Scorpius didn't have the time to look back towards his friend, unless it was intentional.

After that, Albus and Rose ran up to greet their own parents. It would appear as though their friendship, as well as even the slightest hint of the existence of the Arcane ScoRA would remain a secret…for now.


End file.
